Let's Catch Up, Shall We?

Since I'm sure you were wondering what I had been up to the past few months, I'll backtrack a little bit and tell you some stories.

California Roadtrip 2009 *Part 1*

Earlier this summer, my favorite companion, KC, and I found ourselves discussing theme park adventures of our youth. He recalled a time back in Colorado when he and friends would get wasted then hang out at the nearby amusement park, taking on ride after ride until the park closed. My most recent memory was several years ago when my party friends and I would leave the club around 4am, decide on the way home to hit LA for a few days, and often found ourselves on the road - sleepless and drunk - by 5am en route to Magic Mountain. It was then that I learned that KC had never been to Magic Mountain, despite being in Vegas for several years. We immediately decided that a trip to Valencia for some roller coaster excitement was in order. Little did we know this getaway would turn into an extended roadtrip!

A few weeks later, we hit the road on a Sunday afternoon in July. By this time the desert heat was blazing, so it was doubly pleasant to watch the temperature drop the further west we drove. When we reached Glendale, CA just a few hours later, we were relieved to be able to spend the evening in the 70-something degree weather.

On a sidenote, there are two things that I absolutely do not miss about California: First, the traffic; Secondly, the fact that many businesses close early in the evening puts limitations on how much fun you can have on a Sunday night. Living in Las Vegas has spoiled us with its 24-hour nature. When we arrived in Cali that Sunday, we found that most restaurants were closed, and we had to settle on eating at some chain restaurant we were less than thrilled about. Despite the lackluster meal, KC brought the fun to dinner by turning on his redneck alter-ego (later to be named "Gilbert") by talking to our waitress in his best backwoods accent, then later turning off the drawl in hopes of catching her confusion. She didn't seem to catch on from what we witnessed, but she might have been puzzled about the experience after we left.

On Monday, we got up and headed out toward Magic Mountain about 30 minutes north of where we were staying. The temperature was an uncomfortable 95 degrees when we reached the park, but we knew the heat would dissipate as the day wore on. Determined to satisfy the adrenaline junkie in us both, we mapped out the day to ensure that we hit all of the big thrill rides, with our first stop being the X2 near the entrance of the park. Sadly, the ride was shut down indefinitely, and subsequently was one of only two rides we didn't get to experience. One of the best new additions to Six Flags was Tatsu, coined as the tallest, fastest, and longest flying coaster on Earth. We literally flew on this ride - after boarding the ride in a seated position and buckling in, the platform disappeared beneath us and the seats were repositioned so that we were parallel to the ground. It was an incredible sensation flying like Superman, zooming high above. My personal favorite was Déjà Vu, a coaster that pulls you back in a ski-lift like chair at a 90 degree vertical angle then, without warning, drops you. You seem to be free-falling straight for the ground until you speed into a loop then through a butterfly. You climb into another 90 degree vertical tower, and dangle for several seconds staring up at the sky. Just when you think you've completely caught your breath, you're once again free-falling backwards into the butterfly and loop all over again. I described this coaster as the ride of my nightmares, and cursed, "Holy muther fuckin' shit, that was awesome!" as I disembarked. "Gilbert" shouted out, "Hot damn! That was hotter than a bull in the summertime!"

The fact that there were practically no lines was an advantage of touring the park on a Monday. The longest wait was for Superman The Escape, which cost us maybe 45 minutes in line. The worst part was that the ride itself is a total of 15 seconds, which came with a risk of serious whiplash if you didn't know what to expect. As we exited the ride, people laughed as "Gilbert" exclaimed, "That's it?!? I can go faster than that in mah corvette!"

One of the craziest things about KC playing this character Gilbert most of the time we were at the park is how odd of a social experiment it became. During and between rides he would throw out some of the most inappropriate remarks just to see if he could get a rise out of certain people. Surprisingly, people just laughed or were completely oblivious. There was something either very comical or retarded about a redneck who makes ignorant comments. We were really just glad that we didn't offend or get in trouble with anyone out there.

Anyway, with just a couple of breaks, we rode everything with the exception of the aforementioned X2 and Goliath - like X2, Goliath was closed indefinitely for "testing." For our last thrill, we rode Scream 4 or 5 times in a row until the dizziness took hold of me, and I had to finally had to call it quits. By then, the park was about to shut down for the night, and we were tired. It turned out to be an awesome day at Magic Mountain, and we decided that we would return for more action someday soon.

For our last scheduled day in California, I had planned to take KC around LA to check out some of the major attractions nearby before heading back to Vegas. In addition to never having been to Magic Mountain, he had only been to Los Angeles twice in the past few years - and both times he worked gigs downtown that kept him from seeing anything with the exception of Santa Monica pier. I thought that Venice Beach might be a good spot for people watching, but I completely neglected the fact that we were there on a Tuesday. It turned out to be ok anyway, since there were still a few crazy people there, and we got to walk the length of the shore through uncrowded beach. The weather was fantastic, too.

Prior to reaching Venice Beach, while stuck in traffic, I had made a quick comment how one day I would love to just drive the length of Highway 1, The Pacific Coast Highway, up the coast from Southern California all the way to San Francisco. KC turned to me and said, "Let's do it. I don't have to be at work until Friday afternoon..." I hesitated for a moment as I thought about the clothes I packed for the weekend, concerned that I wouldn't have anything appropriate for the chilliness of Northern Cali weather. After a minute, I replied, "Oh, why not! How often do we get a chance to do something like that?" Fortunately, KC overpacked a bit for this trip too, and we agreed that we could easily pick up anything else we would need on the way north.

Our last stop in the Los Angeles area was the Los Feliz neighborhood for the best carnitas tacos in SoCal, then up into Griffith Park to check out the Griffith Observatory. The observatory itself is familiar to many for its appearance in films, those of which I cannot name. It is a great place to visit for learning scientific tidbits and enjoying some interactive fun. It also provides an amazing panoramic view of Los Angeles, from the downtown area to the Hollywood Hills and the famous Hollywood sign. As the evening began to settle in over Hollywood, we left Griffith Park with a course set for the PCH, specifically Malibu. I thought a great way to close out our time in SoCal would be to drive through Malibu on PCH at sunset. It was indeed beautiful, and it was an awesome sight to peer out into the Pacific Ocean for hours from the edge of the west coast and watch the colors of the sky fade into the darkness. We made a dinner stop in Santa Barbara late in the evening, and decided to call it a night when we reached Morro Bay, a tiny coastal town approximately 120 miles south of Monterey. I distinctly remember the smell of the sea air when we reached the hotel, and the sound of sea lions in the distance just before I laid my head down to sleep at 1am in the morning.

Don't worry, there's more! Give me a couple of days, will ya?!?

Winter Celebrations

Imagine piling a dozen of your friends into a multi-car caravan and driving up to a cabin on a snowy mountain for a weekend. Pure chaos, you'd presume? Yes...and fun too! That is what I was up to last weekend, except I was actually with 13 friends who crammed into a 3-SUV caravan up to a townhome in Mammoth Lakes for an extended weekend.

This is an annual snow trip for us, designed to celebrate the approach of Spring and the end of Winter, at a venue still packed with snow and mountains we can speed down at unknown speeds on our respective boards or skis. Last year, 8 of us flew up to Reno for a weekend in Lake Tahoe, which is absolutely magnificent any season but particularly picturesque in the Winter. Our itinerary included three resort stops: Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Northstar. The conditions were not really favorable in terms of snow, but the days were pleasant and sunny, and we managed to get some good runs in. I personally liked the ambiance of Northstar, with the set up of the village and its super-cool terrain park. Lake Tahoe overall was beautiful and obviously a fun place to be year round, and a good time was had by all my travel buddies.

So back to Mammoth: There is nothing to prepare one for the enormity of this mountain. This was my first time there, and I believe my first words at the sight of this monster were "Holy Crap!" This place made the parks in Tahoe seem like hills. The timing of our trip could not have been any more perfect, too: Mammoth still had a significant snow base, we arrived shortly after a snowstorm, and there were more snow showers forecasted during our stay. The conditions seemed ideal, just what we had hoped for. We ended up experiencing a very warm day, a stormy day, a very ugly snow day, and ultimately one fantastic day of epic conditions.

This weekend served more than just a ski/snowboard purpose. We were also celebrating two of our friends' birthdays, one on Saturday and the other on Monday. With that in mind, you can certainly imagine what the weekend entailed. Here's a breakdown of how each day went: Wake up early, have breakfast, start drinking, gear up, take shuttle to mountain (which was only a few miles from our lodge). By the time we arrived at the mountain, it was usually late morning and the majority of us had a pretty good buzz going by then. "Spirited" beverages are the way to go in cold locations; they keep you warm and happy. After some runs down various trails, we would break and reconvene for lunch and cocktails, then return to the slopes for more action. Quick sidenote: There are a couple of great things to point out about our trip to this alp - first, the 11 of us who snowboard and ski stayed together for the majority of the time we were at the mountain. Usually, half the group would take off to tackle the more treacherous trails (which they eventually did), but we all ended up spending some quality time with one another. Another thing about Mammoth is that it is so humongous and the runs are so long, that it provides the variety many of us crave to get our snow fix.

Following a morning and afternoon of the slopes, with drinks in hand we would shuttle back to the townhouse, change into our swimsuits, and head to the hot tub. A relaxing soak is the best way to follow several hours of boarding, with beverages, of course. The 14 of us would hang in the jacuzzi until our beer-supply-in-tow ran out. There was always a well-stocked supply of drinks waiting for us in the townhouse. This meant that the drinking would continue through dinner, through after-dinner games, dancing, and various entertaining activities we would discover, until eventually we all passed out from exhaustion and/or drunkenness. For 4 days, we would wake up the next morning and start the cycle all over again, each day brought its own set of memorable moments, but all followed the basic routine.
One night in particular shall get an honorable mention here, at the request of my pal, Nita. After our first day of boarding, we returned to the townhouse to transition into our swim clothes. By this time in the late afternoon, I was very inebriated but still functioning normally. From what I can recall, I mentioned the possibility of soreness and pain as a result of our first day's activities, so a friend offered up a prescription painkiller as a preventative measure. I gladly accepted one, as did others, and downed it immediately with a beer. We then proceeded to the hot tub where we relaxed for a bit and continued on with pre-dinner cocktails. When we returned to the townhouse, I felt a bit funny, but blamed the alcohol. I showered and got into my pajamas, and figured I could just chill out before dinner. I ended up passing out on my bed. The last thing I remember is one of my friends picking me up from the bed and escorting me to the living room couch. Another friend asked me a question, and I mumbled back a reply incoherently (neither my companions nor I have any idea what I had said) and apparently ended up passing out again right there. Yes, it was another 408Down moment.

I was then escorted back to my room, where I slumbered for a good 13 or so hours. It was still the 6 o'clock hour early that evening when this all happened, so not only did I miss dinner, but I missed a whole night of shenanigans too. I awoke the next morning hungry and feeling like crap. I had only breakfast the day before, dozens of drinks, and a painkiller. I heated up a slice of leftover pizza as an appetizer before breakfast, and avoided my customary breakfast beers that morning. I continued to feel weird throughout the morning, but after a few runs on the snowboard, I was back in the game. I made sure to reward myself with my first of many bloody marys at lunchtime, and continued the cycle of fun again, minus the analgesic, of course. I learned my lesson...maybe. Ok, not. Hey, fun times make for good stories; drunk times make for great stories! Stay tuned!

*Photos courtesy of Todd Huish (You rock, man!)

It's Been Far Too Long...

Four weeks have passed since my last blog post. In fact, there are a couple of drafts sitting in my posting repository, both partially written during my travels. However, my days have been so packed that I had to leave them hanging. You know when you're on a roll and everything just flows as you're writing, but then that roll is interrupted and you end up losing it? That's what happened. I would go back to attempt to finish a post, and found that it lost its flavor. So then I decided to start a new post. Same sad cycle. I started writing today's post with the intention of finishing it, since I didn't want March to come and go with nothing but silence on "From the Mind of 408Down."

Work has been busy the past few weeks. Prior to my departure for my first trip a couple of weeks ago, I was all-consumed with real work (as opposed to perusing the web all day), and barely even had a few minutes to catch up on Twitter. I spent after-office hours scurrying around town on a virtual scavenger hunt for certain clothes in preparation for my travels. Not that I'm complaining about the shopping part, but overall preparation is exhausting. There haven't been enough hours in the day lately, which is ironic since the days seem so much longer since we sprang forward for Daylight Savings.

With two trips behind me, and two to look forward to, I figure that now is as good a time as any to recap where I've been and what I have been up to. Out of fairness to myself and to my readers, I am aware that our time is limited and I'm sure that I can only hold your interest for so long, so this recap is being broken up into installments. Here's Part One:

A couple of weeks ago, I took a weekend getaway to San Francisco. It was a true getaway in the sense that I desperately wanted a break from Sin City for a few days. The desert valley, brown terrain, flashy lights, and dry air tend to collectively take their toll on me over time. Foliage, fog, and beautiful scenery was just what I needed to find peace in this hectic life of mine. Debarking the plane at SFO, I was overcome with a feeling of being home as I always feel when I am back in the Bay. Within an hour, my group and I were downtown at a bar, enjoying complimentary cocktails.

Being from a party town, this concept of an "open bar" event was not new to me. The featured spirit of the evening was a vodka called 42BELOW, and it was served with tropical mixers. Quite tasty, from what I recall. Armed with a fistful of dollar bills for gratuity and an empty stomach, I proceeded to order drinks two at a time, namely a concoction on the menu called "Passion by the Bay," and henceforth I was known by some of my new acquaintances as "Passion." Luckily, the new moniker didn't stick. The last thing I need is another nickname generated from a night of excessive drinking. I did consume more cocktails than I should have that night, managed to send a few of my friends the customary drunk text, posted several drunk tweets, and took a bad spill on the dance floor that resulted in a hideous bruise on my knee. A late night (rowdy) stop at the popular Grubstake restaurant topped off that night. There's nothing like loud conversation about blowjobs and fashion over breakfast at 2am. I'm really surprised that we didn't get eighty-sixed from the Grubstake. Such nice people there.

Another day consisted of a trek to have some Dim Sum, which is oh-so-good in SF for some reason. My last trip to the city in the Fall had a Dim Sum stop included in the itinerary, but after hiking a dozen blocks, my travel companion and I arrived to find the restaurant closed - we had ended up eating pizza at the airport. That disappointment made this trip's nom session incredibly satisfying. Several steam dishes and a pot of tea later, my friend and I decided that a walk would be the best relief for our stuffed bellies. A quick drive west of our location brought us to Cliff House and the Sutro Bath ruins, where we strolled around admiring the glory of the Pacific Ocean and our surroundings until we could no longer tolerate the cold wind. Here are some of my fave shots from there:

On a different day, my friend, Jung, and I spent our afternoon at the California Academy of Sciences. Jung happens to have an annual membership there, which allowed her to bring a guest in for free each visit. If like me, you enjoy aquariums, natural history, and planetariums, this place is for you. It's sensory overload here. I felt like I was in elementary school again, on a field trip, except with no chaperons, the freedom to wander around, and the happy prospect of an afternoon beer. Even if I had to pay to get in, I would have most certainly got my money's worth.

My favorite exhibit was the Steinhart Aquarium. My love of the ocean and any large body of water has lent itself to my interest in the ecosystems they encapsulate and all living things in them. Lots of strange creatures live in or near water, and there were many to see in Steinhart. One notable tank was a large cylindrical one, about 3 feet in diameter that housed different seahorses. Some were recognizable, others looked like aqua-vegetation. They were so small and delicate that photography was prohibited at that tank since the creatures were sensitive to light. I dared not break the rules here for fear of killing a seahorse with my treacherous camera flash and anti-red eye light, so sadly I am without a photo of them. However, another favorite of mine were the Waxy Box Tree Frogs from the Staff Favorites exhibit, and I did get a picture of them to share (above left). These frogs were so cute and tiny, but they didn't move so they didn't look real. Only when you watched one closely could you see their little frog necks move from their respiration. So fascinating.

Jumping to Saturday night, three of us started the evening at the Orpheum Theater downtown to watch the musical Wicked, the untold story of the witches of the Wizard of Oz. The original Wizard of Oz movie was a favorite of mine as a child, so this musical backstory was a real treat. For those of you who haven't read or seen Wicked, don't count on me to spoil it for you on my blog. See the show or get the book. It's worth it.

That Saturday ended with the three of us theater-goers meeting up with more friends at an afterparty linked to the SF International Asian-American Film Festival happening in the city at the time. With drinks and dancing, you can all guess how this night ended...but no, I did not hurt myself this time.

So that sums up the highlights from San Francisco. Stay tuned for Part Deux of the Adventures of 408Down, March 2009 edition. It may be a day or two (or three) before you see the post, but I promise not to let this month go out too lame.

Let The Snowboarding Begin!

I've been excited to get back on a snowboard since I got a taste of the sport last winter season, and I finally got the chance to do so today.

Following days and days of snow storms, Brian Head Resort in Utah was the perfect venue to start off the snowboard season. Four of my friends and I left Las Vegas at 5:30am for the 3-hour drive, in order to reach the snow park promptly at its opening time. We spent nearly the whole day there, to the point of exhaustion!

The end of last snow season was spent with a climactic 3-day trip to Lake Tahoe for an entire weekend of snowboarding. The itinerary covered Heavenly Ski Resort on Day 1, Kirkwood on Day 2, and Northstar on Day 3. It was an extraordinary weekend getaway, with many memorable moments and just a lot of fun.

Since then, I've been plagued with snow dreams, just eager to tackle the slopes. Ironically, I am not a fan of winter, nor do I care for cold weather or snow. However, snowboarding has become something of a hobby of mine now. Although I can't say I am skilled at it, I enjoy it immensely. I would encourage everyone to give it a try.

Planning for Europe

I've only been home from my last vacation for about 3 weeks now, and like I mentioned in a previous post, I am ready for the next adventure. My travel pals and I have already been having conversations about taking a trek to destinations that are characteristically more historic (and perhaps educational), rather than the paradise getaways that are easy to plan. Naturally, we have collectively concluded that we'll end up heading to Europe next year.

The challenge with planning for a European vacation is that there are a multitude of cities that we want to target. Two weeks of vacation is a limited period of time to explore, considering at least two of those days will be devoted to the Trans-Atlantic legs of our flights. This revelation has led me to evaluate the countries I want to visit, but more importantly, the landmarks I want to see.

Here's what I've narrowed it down to, in order of preference:

1. Italy - With thousands of years of history and the center of Christianity, Rome is my top pick for sightseeing. There are a slew of churches and ancient monuments in this city that can't be missed. Vatican City and Venice are also Italian stops that I'd like to take.

2. Spain - Ever since Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics, I've wanted to see it for myself. The architecture, particularly in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, is tremendously intricate and completely allures me. Barcelona is also the gateway mainland city in Spain to the island of Ibiza, where I dream of partying for days on end. Many of the best DJs of the world play in Ibiza, and I only hope that one of my favorites is there whenever I decide to venture over.

3. Greece - It's just a hop, skip, and jump away from Spain. Other than that, it is aesthetically and culturally a magnificent country. Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens are among my top stops in Europe. The Parthenon has withstood time and the elements, and will inevitably crumble - I want to see it before that happens.

4. Netherlands - Amsterdam represents a neutrality and freedom known nowhere else in this world. It is also the origin of the Dutch Masters and where the prolific Anne Frank spent her days in hiding while inadvertantly writing herself into history.

5. Czech Republic - I can't say I know much about Prague except its beauty has drawn tourists there for years. I can say that I am in awe of and wish to see the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle.

Aside from my top picks, some close runners-up were Ireland and England, which obviously I haven't completely dismissed from my dream European vacation. Even if I don't get to do everything I want to this first time around, the great thing is that I'll have more than one reason to head back across the Atlantic.

Vacation Withdrawal

My Mexico vacation last week was the most satisfying break from regular life I could have asked for. It had elements of everything I needed to relax: sun, beach, ocean, alcohol, a good book, a bit of adventure and, of course, good friends. With all of this to fill 7 days, I returned to the U.S. completely fulfilled and yet surprisingly glad to be home.

On Sunday, I was anticipating the worse for Monday, but found that reintroducing myself back to work was a cinch. Throughout the day my travel pals commented how they could have used a few more days on vacation, but personally I was able to say that I didn't need the extra time. I admit that I still do miss the beach, but for those that know me best, my obsession with the surf is a constant one.

As much as I would like very much to return to Cancun someday, I don't have much of a desire to do that any time in the near future (unless the trip was gifted to me, of course). There is a vast world of destinations that I have yet to see, and I am determined to visit a majority of them.

I suppose my lack of attachment to this recent vacation has everything to do with my eagerness to see the rest of the world. There is a sense of freedom and adventure that I have rediscovered in myself in the past couple of years that has been feeding my appetite for travel and desire to see and learn new things. The idea that there is a new adventure on the horizon for me soon keeps my yearning at bay - I just hope it's just not too long before I get to experience it.

Too Busy To Write?!?

Going through the entire month of November without one single blog post makes me feel like a jerk. The most fantastic part of that statement is that there have been a handful of exciting things happening between the last post and December 1st. Let's see if I can recap everything since October:

• Saw New Kids on the Block perform at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. I don't care what anyone says; they are hotter than ever and put on a hell of a show.

• Traveled to San Francisco to watch the 49ers battle the Philadelphia Eagles at Candlestick Park. The Niners lost, but I don't care. They will always be my team.
  

• Enjoyed an extended Halloween via multiple celebrations. I actually had a use for two different costumes this year. I suited up as a boxer one night (a tribute to my recently acquired reputation of being the one who gets drunk and gets into fights at concerts) and an 80's rocker/GnR groupie on Halloween day (I just wanted to wear body jewelry, fishnets, and a mini-skirt to work).

• Took a weekend to Orange County, CA to watch my nephew play in the Mighty Mite Football Championship.
  

• Kept tabs on the presidential election whilst drunk at the Alkaline Trio, Thrice, and Rise Against concert at the House of Blues, and fought some random boy for apparently no reason.

• Watched OneRepublic perform at the Pearl. If you've never been to the Pearl, watch a concert there. If you've never seen OneRepublic, you're missing out. Such talent.

• Finally took the long-awaited trip to Cancun. Ridiculous, relaxing fun!

So, if you now feel caught up in the life of 408Down, you've been misled. There was much drinking and partying not mentioned above that happened in between all the major happenings...but you probably already figured that out.

The Ireland You Never Knew About

Unseasonal conditions brought monstrous swells in late August to Aileen's, Ireland's own version of the Banzai Pipeline. Those menacing curls failed to swallow up the brave souls that dared ride them, yet there is no doubt that the sight of these waves brought fear to some of those hearts. The images from Surfline's Swell Stories are both breathtaking and awe-inspiring. For those of you that share my ocean obsession, you will certainly appreciate these pictures .

Who knew that shamrocks, leprechauns, and Guinness weren't the only cool things out of Ireland?

Confessions of a Glamourpuss: I went camping...and I liked it! Really!

From what I am able to recall from my childhood, the closest experience I ever had to camping was a trip to Sequoia National Park at the age of 8. We slept in the family van, fully equipped with air-conditioning, a refrigerator, a bed, and even a TV. The campgrounds had showers, an olympic-size pool, and an arcade. By most definitions, this excursion was more luxurious than it was real camping. In fact, the only discomfort that I may have experienced was missing Saturday morning cartoons because my dad and uncles were watching sports in the van.

Fast forward twenty-something years, and I finally slept in a tent for the first time. Outside. No running water or electricity, except for the restrooms. Believe it.

A group of my friends decided to spruce up our usual lake trip by adding camping to the schedule. Clearly this is not an option I would have suggested, and I must admit I was a bit apprehensive at the thought of having to sleep outdoors during the height of summer. I did listen to the optimist in me that always says, "You'll never know whether you like it or don't like it until you actually try it." It's sound advice, so how can I ever ignore it?

There were a few downsides to this new camping experience that did not escape me:

• For a person who showers twice a day, not being able to shower for more than 36 hours was certainly bothersome. I attempted to substitute for it by bringing 2 gallons of water to simulate a bath of sorts. It sucked.
• No make-up. There is no catwalk at the lake, nor is there a need to get dolled up. My fashion philosophy says otherwise.
  
• Summer in the desert means high temperatures all season. Trying to sleep in 80 plus degrees is not comfortable.
• Bugs. I hate them, and they are everywhere near the lake. Fortunately, none of them bit me.
• Being drunk in the heat intensifies inebriation. Being highly inebriated impairs judgment. Case in point: After using the restroom, I found myself in a bit of a quandary. The lock on the restroom stall was stuck and my efforts to pull the door open failed. Refusing to have to climb up and over the jammed door, I decided instead to crawl out from the opening under the door. I scraped my knees and scratched my camera. Later I found out that the door was not stuck - I pulled and pulled when in fact I should have pushed the door open. D'oh!

Needless to say, those were all very minor things that did not deter me from having a great time. Many people close to me - including my own mother - had zero faith that I could tolerate one night in nature. Well, I certainly proved my skeptics wrong. In fact, I am looking forward to the next time when we camp an entire weekend. Next time, however, I'm bringing lip gloss.

To Jesus Country and back

All God and Mormon jokes aside, Utah is heavenly country.

A dozen of us adventure-seekers took on Zion National Park this weekend, and for most of us it was the first time we had ever been there. Armed with provisions to feed a small army and our ridiculously excessive supply of alcohol, we loaded up on Friday afternoon and headed to a vacation rental house just east of the park.

About the house: Gigantic kitchen, lots of living space, river running through the backyard, fair location. All things considered, it was more than adequate. For me personally, it was welcome refuge on a trip that could have potentially ended up with me sleeping in a tent without the comforts of civilization. Thank God I have sensible friends.

Zion National Park was absolutely breathtaking. Winding through the mountains, one cannot help but stare in awe at the towering peaks and the colorful rock formations that were all so unique in design.

On Saturday, we drove down to the visitor center and rode a couple of shuttles that took us down to Zion Lodge. From there, we crossed a footbridge and hiked the Emerald Pools Trail. According to the guideposts, the Emerald Pools are named such due to the green tint the algae gives the three pools. They looked less emerald and truly more brown. Nevertheless, the hike to the lower and middle pools was fun. Those of us who made it to the Middle Pool fared well, considering it got a bit more challenging as you progress up the trail. Had we been a little better equipped - better shoes, lots more water - and the temperature not so warm, we could have ventured up to the Upper Pool. That will be another adventure for our next time there, as most of us agreed that we would most certainly go back.