Oh The Things You'll Find

You never know what you might find when you go out hiking. Maybe an old rusted out car.


Or maybe a spooky, crumbling, old house.


Both of these were alongside trails in the Maryland state park system. The car's actually kind of hidden and you have to cross through a swamp of skunk cabbage to reach it, but the house is literally trailside. Adding to the spookiness factor was a big turkey vulture that flew out of it as we passed by.

My Crazy Life

I've been remiss about posting here, but I have to say that life is rather crazy here at the moment. Here's a little peek at what we've been up to.

Weekdays
7 a.m. Get up, shower, dress, eat breakfast, make lunch (and dinner for Jeff)
8 a.m. Out the door to catch the Metro
8:30 a.m. Start my work day
6:00 p.m. Leave Work
6:45 p.m. Arrive home. Begin dinner. (It always takes longer to get home than to get to work. Why is that?)
7:30-8:00 p.m. (On a good day) Eat dinner. Clean up dinner. (On a bad day, dinner is maybe at 9:00)
8:00-10:30 p.m. Work on hiking book. Write entries, edit entries, code entries, plan upcoming hikes, make maps, decide on photos, write front of the book and back of the book materials. Consider writing queries for other articles. Reconsider, decide sanity is better than bylines.
10:30 p.m. Jeff calls. Go pick him up from work. (Yes, he's working 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. these days. It's the final push...it's fun I tell you.)
11:00 p.m. (Three days a week) Remember that I haven't written a post for Lives of Wander. Get to work on that. Maybe watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report while I write. Other days try to do some trip planning.
12:00 p.m. Go to bed.

Weekends
7:00 a.m. Get up. (There is no longer any sleeping in around here). Fill water bottles, pack picnic lunch, confirm directions, double check contents of hiking bag.
8:00 a.m. Out the door. Spend the next 1-2 hours driving to trailhead.
9:00 a.m. to Sunset. Hike anywhere from 1-4 trails at 1-4 locations for up to 16 miles.
9:00 p.m. Try to find somewhere open for dinner.
10:00 p.m. Return home. Jeff goes to work. Shower all the dirt away. Prep for the next day's hikes. Write if there's time.
12:00 a.m. Pick Jeff up at work. Jeff showers. Bed.

I'm not looking for sympathy. We chose this life, and though it's crazy and we're both looking forward to our vacation in 1.5 weeks more than we can express, we're pretty happy people overall. But if I haven't returned your call or your email, commented on your blog, or posted anything new on my blog, please forgive me. It's not that I haven't thought about it. It's just that I really haven't had the time.

Okay, back to work. I have about 30 minutes to 1 hour to get some editing done before Jeff calls...

What a Wonderful World: Fauna Edition

We've done the plants, now let's check out the animals.

A very gorgeous dragonfly. If you enlarge the picture by clicking on it, you can see some cool detail on his wings. (Credit: Jeff)

A teeny butterfly resting on the trail. I've gotten good at spotting small things...and then telling Jeff to take a picture of them. (Credit: Jeff)

A bright orange salamander that I was almost convinced was fake...but it wasn't. I poked it to be sure. (Credit: Theresa)

A very lovely butterfly. We've seen many different types but most aren't so kind as to hold still like this one did. (Credit: Jeff)

A heron hangs out on the edge of a marsh at Blackwater Nature Preserve. (Credit: Theresa)

This tiny bird's nest was simply amazing. Those birds sure know how to build things.
(Credit: Jeff)

A something-pede. I didn't get to count all of his legs, but there are a lot. (Credit: Jeff)

A wood frog. We've found a lot of these on our hikes, most fairly small. This guy is a bit bigger than most. (Credit: Jeff)

What a Wonderful World: Flora Edition

One of the coolest things about going out hiking every weekend is the way in which I am so much more in tune with nature. It's amazing the differences you notice each week and the things that I probably used to just walk by, but now see with fresh eyes as I've had to pay close attention, take notes on what's around me, and learn to identify various plants. So in a series of posts this week, I'm going to share with you some of the things I've seen. Maybe it will inspire you to get out and explore your part of the great outdoors. It's really a pretty fabulous place.

So today, the flora edition. Stay tuned for fauna, landscapes, and a fun category called surprises.

A jack-in-the-pulpit. Some of them have purple stripes, which are a bit cooler, but I guess I didn't photograph one of those. (Credit: Theresa)

Some type of aster--maybe fleabane?--that grows in pretty clusters. (Credit: Jeff)

A very interesting pine cone in a bright shade of red. Does anyone know if this is just an immature stage or if its just the style of the cones on this tree? (Credit: Jeff)

A fern waits to unfurl its leaves. (Credit: Theresa)

A morel mushroom...a small basket of these was going for $20 at my farmer's market.
(Credit: Theresa)

If you peek underneath the leaves of a mayapple, you may see one of its white flowers. Mayapples pop open like umbrellas...it's pretty cool. (Credit: Theresa)

The spring beauty--a small, five-petaled wildflower with delicate pink stripes--is found on the edge of many trails. (Credit: Theresa)

The trillium is currently blooming in the woods around us. (Credit: Jeff)

The largest beech tree I think I've ever seen. (Credit: Jeff)

Silhouette of a flower on the paw paw tree. (Credit: Jeff)

Go Here Now

I have an article up on Brave New Traveler. It's a list of songs about travel. Go check it out and add a comment.

And I promise a new post on here soon. Life has been pretty nutty lately. Free time is simply a fantasy.

Just How Prestigious is That Honor Roll?

Congradulations honor roll students.

That's what the sign outside the school I passed on my way to the grocery read.

I'm not the only one who finds this ironic, am I?

No Pope for Me

Once upon a time (say November 2001) in a land far far away (say Italy), I saw the pope. Not the current one, but Pope John Paul II. It was a bit of an accident. I was going to the Vatican, so it wasn't as if I saw him out having a beer in some random trattoria, but we hadn't really made any plans to try to see the pope. By some random stroke, my friends and I just happened to decide to go to the Vatican on the same day as the pope was leading a beatification ceremony. I have to say it was pretty cool, especially when the pope got in his popemobile and made his way through the crowds.

This week Pope Benedict XVI is in town, but I don't have any plans to see him, and I won't even be going anywhere that might lead to an encounter similar to the last time. In fact, I think I'm going to do my best to stay far away. Not because of the crowds (which will be horrendous) or the security (which will be tight), but because I strongly disagree with the direction in which the Church, as headed by the pope, is moving (and I also disagree with the way the Church is so stubbornly standing in place in regards to some issues).

I was born and raised Catholic. I spent 13 years in Catholic schools. My grandmother was Irish Catholic (can you get any more Catholic than that?). Catholicism is a part of my history and culture, but I can no longer, in good conscience, embrace it. And though there may be some issues of faith that concern me, my main reasons are the Church's views on social issues. Let me lay some of them out here.

1. Abortion. In my ideal world, there would be no abortion because every pregnancy would be planned and every baby wanted. But the fact is, that isn't how things are. Rape, incest, and other horrible acts lead to pregnancy. People with addictions, with no means of supporting a child, with no desire for a child, end up pregnant. In my opinion, it's better than these pregnancies not result in births because of the trauma and pain that is likely to be inflicted on that child. That's my opinion, and I know the Church has a different opinion. Let me say that I support their right to have that opinion, and I even understand where it comes from. Protecting and celebrating life is the right thing for the Church to do. Providing alternatives to abortion is a wonderful thing. (Though supporting birth control might be a good start.) What I have a problem with is the extreme stance that the Church has taken on this, going so far as to say it should be the deciding factor upon which Catholics should base their vote. Seriously? That is absurd to me. I see much bigger issues that should factor into voting, namely the way in which politicians propose to care for those already alive on this earth. How we plan to care for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the abused, the imprisoned, and the dying seems much more important to me. And in my opinion, by addressing these issues, we go a long way to addressing the issue of unwanted children. When people are in a better place, they are less likely to end up unable to care for a child, and they are more likely to have the means to make smart decisions.

2. Homosexuality. Does anyone honestly think that people choose to be homosexual? Who in their right mind would choose a lifestyle that leads to discrimination and alienation? People aren't gay because they choose to be. They are gay because that's the way they were born (otherwise known to many as the way God made them). The Church's stance that people can by gay and be okay so long as they don't act on their tendencies is total bullshit. Love is a good thing, a great thing...regardless of whether it's between a man and a woman, a man and a man, or a woman and a woman.

3. Women. In the Catholic Church, women are second-class citizens. How in this day and age can the Church justify its exclusion of women from the role of priest...and the higher positions that can be obtained once one is ordained a priest? Why is a man the only one who can have this highly celebrated role? Again, it's bullshit. Women can have the same calling, the same strong faith, the same ability to lead a congregation. I refuse to condone, even silently, this overt discrimination.

The sex abuse scandal and the pitiful way in which the Church dealt with it (or didn't), the archaic view of the Church on sex and birth control, and the willy-nilly way in which the Church hands out annulments are just a few other things that get me riled up.

Before I close looking like a hater, let me go ahead and say that I think the Church has done many wonderful things. I have been lucky enough to have known many amazing priests, brothers, and nuns, who have made my life and many other lives better. The Church itself is a beacon of hope for many people. It provides outreach to some of society's most forgotten and neglected people. It has the power to do real good in the world. I respect that, and I admire that.

But, at the same time, I am sickened by the Church's discriminatory nature and closemindedness. And until I see true progress in those areas, I will seek a spiritual home elsewhere.

Random Wednesday

• At my Trader Joe's, Luna Bars and Clif Bars cost the same amount but Clif Bars have about 100 more calories, which is good when I'm hiking. However, those Clif Bars require so much damn chewing that I think I burn more than those 100 calories just trying to eat the bar. They also look like crap...literally. I think I'll stick with the Luna Bars.
  

• One sign that your house is small: You can plug your vacuum in and vacuum the entire house without having to switch plugs. Yeah, I can do that.

• If you're looking for a chocolate cake recipe, look no further than the back of the Hershey's cocoa box. For Jeff's return to the U.S. I made the "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake, and it was indeed perfect. It was my first ever layer cake (I usually stick with the much easier sheet cake), but I didn't have a bit of trouble. The cakes came out flat and stacked easily. The icing (recipe also from the cocoa box) was easy to spread. And the cake itself is super moist and delicious. We just have a tiny slice left for tonight...we've been eating it every day...and I'm almost tempted to bake up another one. Fortunately, we're going out of town tomorrow night, so I won't. But it's that good.
  

Olympic Issues

"We should not politicize the Olympics." Something to that effect gets said by some ICO higher-up anytime anyone questions the decision to award (reward?) China with the Olympics. But I don't think anyone is buying it. It's so obvious that the IOC is just trying to cover its hide after making a piss-poor decision to hand the Games, which are supposed to symbolize the best of the human spirit, to a country determined to do everything it can to trample said human spirit.

Even those of us with the shortest historical memory can take a look back and see that the Olympics have always been highly political. Was Hitler's use of the Games in 1936 not political? Were the Russian and American boycotts not political? Was the banning of South Africa from the Games for its refusal to condemn apartheid not political? Was the banning of Germany and Japan from the 1948 Games as "punishment" for being the aggressors of World War II not political?

Short answer: They were all political. The fact that athletes compete for their country is political. The process of awarding the Olympic Games to a city is political. Nearly every freaking thing about the Olympics is political. So I for one thinks the IOC needs to step up and start explaining.

Should, however, they stick with the party line, I think there's a bigger question to be asked and that is whether human rights are "political. " In my opinion, human rights are above politics. Defending human rights is not about what political system I believe in, it's a statement of belief in the value and dignity of human life.

And China is right up there with the big boys of human rights violations. The Chinese people are terribly oppressed. They are denied the right to free speech, living in fear of saying anything negative about the government. They are denied a free press and unfettered access to the Internet. They are even denied freedom over their own reproduction. Others, including those in Tibet, are denied the right to autonomy.

Now China isn't the lone bad boy of the world. Human rights violations are taking place all over the globe, including here in our own backyards. But we're not plying most major human rights violators with billions of dollars, rewarding them with a global stage as they give the world---and more importantly, their own citizens---a big middle finger.

But, at this point, what is to be done? The Opening Ceremonies are four months and one week away. All the talk about boycotting this or boycotting that is just talk---a way for other countries to pat themselves on the back and say they really pondered the issue while doing nothing in the end. And why, I wonder? I imagine we'd be up in arms if the Games were awarded to say Cuba. But China, and we all whisper among ourselves, but then smile politely when the host comes around. Why is that? Something about money maybe, and trade relations, and our pitiful dependence on China to supply way too many of our goods (especially considering the ridiculously poor health and safety standards they maintain and the way their workers are treated). Right, I almost forgot.

Hmm, looks like it ends up right back at politics after all.

(Also, on a semi-related note, does China not have any idea what Tiananmen Square conjures up for the rest of the world? I find it so odd that it's the setting for their big torch lighting ceremony, because all I can think of is the extreme violence perpetrated by a government against its citizens as they peacefully protested.)

Calling All Internet Detectives

I need help identifying this plant.



I have encountered this plant on almost every hike I've done in the DC area. The first picture shows the entire plant (shrub? tree?), and it shows one of the larger versions of the plant that I have found. The second picture shows the leaves in more detail. From what I can tell, the plant keeps its leaves all year round and they remain green. (Otherwise they appear very early in the year, since I've been seeing these since late January). They are often found in clusters, and are part of the understory, though they're more often in areas of the forest where the canopy is fairly open rather than in the areas that are densely shaded. In general, the ground in the DC area is swampy, and they seem to thrive in that environment. I haven't yet seem any blooms on these plants, but it is still pretty early for that. Fairly often, the leaves are mottled as if the plant is being attacked by something.

My best guess is that it's some kind of rhododendron, but I'm not certain on that. Matthew, upon seeing them on the hike he did with me, also immediately went to rhododendron. I know there are many species of rhododendron, and it seems the closest match so far, but I'd like more input. Despite spending time with two large botany books today, I've yet to have that aha moment. So please, internet detectives get to work and identify this plant! Mucho thanks.

Love Might Be Too Strong a Word

There's not really a lot of love lost between me and Houston. It's not my favorite city. It's not one of my 100 favorite cities. It's not even one of my 1,000 favorite cities (even though I haven't even been to nearly 1,000 cities). You get the point. So when I went to Houston at the beginning of February with the intent of writing an article about the city, I was a bit nervous. I don't mind being honest, but I was afraid I'd just come across as negative. There are, after all, people who like Houston, people who voluntarily move there. Weird, I know. But I think I managed to pull off a pretty good article. Check it out yourself. I doubt it convinces you to make a trip to the Bayou City, but perhaps it will give you a few good ideas of things to do if you ever find yourself there.

Well The Calendar Says It's Spring

I can't say that March is the best month for hiking in the DC region, especially this March, which certainly came in like the lion it's said to be, but has yet to become the lamb that it's said to evolve into. Cold, grey, and rainy have been the best ways to describe this month. To be honest, we have had a few nice days, but they have consistently been mid-week. The weekends have been gross. But I've survived and I'm close to being done with my first chapter. The weather willing, I'll do two hikes tomorrow, and then hike my final Metropolitan DC trail on Friday. Keep your fingers crossed.

On a positive note, getting out every single weekend to hike has really made me notice all the little changes that happen in the evolution of winter to spring. Each week I notice something new---the first crocuses and daffodils, the red buds of a maple, the blossoms on a cherry tree, the bright yellow of the forsythia, the earliest wildflowers, the greening of the underbrush, the flowering of magnolias. The hike I plan to do this coming Friday is in the National Arboretum, and I fully expect it to be rather lovely by then. The cherry blossoms are supposed to be in their full glory, and the magnolias and azaleas might be flowering too. A little sunshine would certainly help.

Anyhow, here are a few pictures of the springing of spring.







Another cool thing about hiking in the early spring, before the forests have turned green, is the opportunity to spot wildlife. It's certainly a lot easier to catch sight of whatever it is you hear tramping through the woods when the woods are bare. I've easily been able to pick out the Eastern Bluebird, whose feathers are electric blue, and I've been able to locate all the woodpeckers that I usually just hear. And back when I was just working on the proposal, Jeff and I actually caught sight of a coyote. Today, on a trip to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, which I didn't have high expectations for since the waterlilies for which the park is known don't bloom until summer, I actually had a pretty cool experience.

I saw a small red fox, which kept its eyes on me until I pulled out my camera at which point it ran away so I only got a lousy shot of it. I also saw a gorgeous Great-blue heron.


And in one of those cool nature channel moments, I watched a raccoon attack the nest of a Canada Goose. The goose went crazy, honking and hissing and flapping its wing, but that didn't deter the raccoon at all. Unfortunately, Jeff has our good camera with the zoom I needed, but I did manage to capture this shot. You can see the raccoon in the grassy area to the left of the tree. The goose is taking a break here, having worn itself out to no avail. It did later on have energy again, however, as it went crazy coming after me when I got kind of sort of close to it. (For both this shot and the one of the heron, I had to zoom beyond the capacity of my point and shoot camera to take a good picture, so the quality isn't that great.)

How Aware Are You?

Go here. Watch the video. Then respond in the comments whether you passed the test.

(Don't look at the comments until you've done the test, in case someone gives something away.)

I failed.

Self-Documenting the Birthday

So in the spirit of keeping up the tradition of having pictures from my birthday every year, I self-documented my present opening.

Here's me with the boxes my mom sent. My eyes are the same color as our walls in this photo.


And here I am modeling the fancy-pants eye mask she sent. I'm going to be a stylish traveler. No cheap, scratchy free airline version for me. But let me tell you, taking a picture of yourself while wearing an eye mask that blocks out all light is not the easiest thing. Imagine that.


This one captures me in action opening the box that contained lots of sweet treats plus a journal and some other goodies.


Pretty awesome photos, eh?

Good Health to Me, Good Wealth to Me

At 7:03 p.m. EST this evening, I will have been in this world for 27 years. So far it hasn't really felt much like my birthday. But then again what are birthdays supposed to feel like? When I woke up this morning, I had to remind myself that it's my birthday. That's because Jeff is out of the country, so I'm celebrating solo. I think out of the 8 birthdays I've had since Jeff and I met, we've been apart for 5 of them so this is nothing new. But when he missed them in the past, I was living with roommates, so there was someone else around to do the whole celebrating thing with. I'm going out a with a friend after work for a drink or dinner, and tomorrow I'm going to lunch with two friends from work. Also my brother is coming in town on Wednesday, and my mom is sending gifts, so it's not as if the day is going unnoticed. It's just going to be a little odd opening presents all by my lonesome. I'm not quite sure how to approach it, not having someone else to show my gifts to.

Anyhow, this past year has been a good one. My freelance writing has gotten off the ground. It still has a ways to go before it's truly airborne, but it's on its way. I signed my first contract to write a book. Not the Great American Novel I have planned, but a start. And the planning for our Round the World trip has picked up speed, and is manifesting itself as a blog. And this upcoming year promises to bring more excitement with it. We'll actually take off on our trip, and by my next birthday, I'll be very familiar with South America. I'll also have completed my book and hopefully it will be well on its way to arriving in bookstores. And I'm sure there will be a fair amount of surprises that pop up over the course of the next 365 days. It will be fun to see what the first year of my "late twenties" brings.

Extra Extra Read All About It

I have an article in today's San Antonio Express News about rafting the Grand Canyon. You can read it here.

They Must Think We're Stupid

I just went to the CNN website, and in a bright yellow banner titled "Developing News" that spans the top of the page it says: "President Bush says, 'It's clear our economy has slowed.'"

Thank you CNN and President Bush. I would have had no idea about the current state of affairs without that very important bulletin.

With all of this hiking...

I'm either going to end up in the best shape of my life or fat as a cow.

I covered about 20 miles this weekend. I can feel it, though fortunately it's an "I worked hard" ache and not any real pain.

But all those miles, make me a hungry, hungry hippo.

My existence has condensed into two things: hike and eat, sometimes simultaneously.

How Is Your Stupidity My Problem?

The whole economic crisis that the United States is currently in really pisses me off. We've brought the entire thing upon ourselves by being a nation full of economic idiots. Apparently, while my parents were teaching me that no, money doesn't grown on trees, a whole lot of other people's parents were teaching them the exact opposite.

Somehow these people looked at their salaries and then looked at the price of the mega-mansions they wanted to buy and figured that somehow the hundreds of thousands of dollars in difference would miraculously resolve itself. They ignored the details of the terms of their adjustable interest loans, thinking that by the time the interest adjusted they'd have magically earned tons more money and it would be no big deal.

Then once they had their mega-mansions and adjustable interest rate loans, they took the little pieces of plastic in their wallets with their names on it and some random numbers and went hog wild furnishing their homes, and buying the big cars and the fancy clothes and the luxury vacations that you are apparently entitled to if you live in such a home. Who thought they would one day have to pay actual cash for those purchases? Isn't that little plastic card magic?

And now the entire nation is paying for the stupidity and selfishness of these people. Those of us who wisely put our money into savings are watching the earnings on those savings shrink as the interest rate is cut to rescue those who made bad choices. Those who made investments in preparation for retirement are watching their stocks take huge hits as the market struggles to remain afloat amidst the crises in housing and credit cards. Those of us who take the time to budget are watching as our budgets are blown up by the sharp increases in gas costs, food costs, and other costs, which can all be traced back to the weakness of the dollar caused by the constant lowering of interest rates. Our buying power is rapidly shrinking. Our salaries aren't increasing. We will all feel the pinch of living in a consumerist society in which we're encouraged to buy, buy, buy without any regard for how we're going to pay, pay, pay.

I am by no means a financial genius, but it doesn't take much more than simple subtraction skills to know that when you're subtracting your expenses from your income, the number on the top (aka the income) better be bigger than the number on the bottom (aka the expenses). And the more positive difference between those numbers, the better. We'd all be in a better spot if we could learn to live within, if not below, our means. Although with the government bailing out all of those who haven't quite figured this out, how's anybody ever going to learn? Maybe this is cold-hearted, but I was always taught that you have to live with the consequences of your choices, and I still firmly believe this to be true.

That's My Name on That Book

I don't believe in the idea that things "happen for a reason." There's too much senseless tragedy in the world for that. I do believe, however, that sometimes opportunities arise from setbacks.

When the start date for our trip was pushed back to October, I have to admit that I was disappointed. I was set on leaving in July. But shortly after that setback occurred, I received the opportunity to interview for a job that I was greatly interested in. And now, I'm happy to say that after a fairly intensive application, interview, and proposal process, I have been awarded a position as author of the forthcoming guidebook Moon Outdoors Take a Hike, Washington, DC. The final manuscript deadline is in September, so it just works perfectly with our new trip start date.

Now guidebook writing isn't exactly a lucrative career, so I'll be keeping my regular job. Which means for the next few months, I'll be doing one of four things: 1) working my 8:30 - 6:00 schtick; 2) hiking the approximately 80 trails that will be featured in the book; 3) writing about those hikes; and 4) planning our RTW trip. It'll be crazy, but it'll be worth it.