tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72053784635073313192024-03-13T03:59:47.114-07:00sportik's adventure blogsportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-64213980393938382792021-08-08T10:16:00.000-07:002021-08-08T10:16:34.249-07:00Little Rock, Tree House, Hell No, Paris and back to Dallas<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9xSnqffVCn8HBntSUcDWJF5sHPU_AwQvOAaUL4kt_odgvMibuSL8uc_yMGQoeEEJ1AsUbXuvlyPMOHCH-C2INWmtgrqDg462Ux7AEnnJzuPdR05sUjYyHFDM83Cl47VoB9s_Oilglwo/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="1785" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9xSnqffVCn8HBntSUcDWJF5sHPU_AwQvOAaUL4kt_odgvMibuSL8uc_yMGQoeEEJ1AsUbXuvlyPMOHCH-C2INWmtgrqDg462Ux7AEnnJzuPdR05sUjYyHFDM83Cl47VoB9s_Oilglwo/w640-h262/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>As a continuation to the last blog post, I'll try to address the remaining bullet points that I wanted to share.</p><ul><li><span style="color: red;"><strike>The toilet incident (I've got your attention, don't I?)</strike></span></li><li><span style="color: red;"><strike>Goats, </strike></span>Deer, Armadillo</li><li>B&B heaven / Fudge, clutch pearls, gasp</li><li>Rage Monster: Cramps and Heat</li><li>Settling In</li><li>Decision Fatigue</li><li>The general pattern of road trips - aka Me and Road Trips</li><li>Peeing in fear (different than "The toilet incident")</li><li>What I packed but didn't touch, except to move it out of my way</li><li>Snacks & Drinks</li></ul><div>Oh boy, that's a lot! And I didn't even mention: fear, no signal, the Eiffel Tower....oh there's so much to cover!</div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, totally fell asleep instead of writing the blog. Now I'm having a delicious yogurt, granola, berry and bacon breakfast. I'm waking up, trying to remember what happened yesterday. With so much input over the last week, it gets all jumbled together, which is partly why I get so tired. And 100% why by the end of every vacation I stop writing. The idea of being home soon puts me in relax mode rather than go go go mode and motivation drops through the floor. Let's see if I can pull it together this time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Little Rock Arkansas. I pulled off the freeway into a residential neighborhood. The first thing I saw was a homeless man at the stop sign to my left. Not a bad place to ask for a hand. And maybe his girlfriend, or another homeless woman on a bench to my right. She had her shoes off and was playing, picking at, or examining her feet. Hello, Little Rock!</div><div><br /></div><div>I've only driven to / through a few 'big' cities on this trip. Dallas, OKC, Tulsa, Little Rock and a bunch of small ones or even tiny ones. The only place you see "homeless" are big cities and it always bums me out. It's a slap in the face that 'big city' doesn't mean success. Not all the people there are prospering. It's like a small version of the American Dream to move from a tiny town to a big city, but it's just a dream. </div><div><br /></div><div>Boy, this is too deep a topic for the amount of coffee I've had. I'm not really getting to the point. I'm sorry, let's get back to the fun, light, what-did-I-see-on-my-adventures blog.</div><div><br /></div><div>Krista had found me the most amazing and probably oldest standing Victorian Home (B&B) in Little Rock Arkansas. The gentlemen who run it, did an amazing job decorating and keeping it in excellent working order.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.theempress.com/" target="_blank">The Empress of Little Rock</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLqYp79cu7QmrltFk99NK05h6EdqV7Sv9Lm5gDBTopKftPU2wHdtVveNdqAAOWaJbngOW2O-ZxVb9ftnQ72YZKnX8lhoYipldiccUy6BN71RpwL0AcV8896d2gCVZ4YH-8PNllRxOGfQ/s6000/DSC01401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLqYp79cu7QmrltFk99NK05h6EdqV7Sv9Lm5gDBTopKftPU2wHdtVveNdqAAOWaJbngOW2O-ZxVb9ftnQ72YZKnX8lhoYipldiccUy6BN71RpwL0AcV8896d2gCVZ4YH-8PNllRxOGfQ/w640-h426/DSC01401.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0TY7bV2N1ONQoC7VqUlZCOWexoB4719Z6LJacssv4OI7aohVDIbsQt8rdWSKKR8VW4dUO5YZLyuHx2hTfEduvIk1Qfz86nkK25PflJvr9D4cBKzarD_vIJmskH4Edkqi9nuICZwTcws/s2048/OQVC4746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0TY7bV2N1ONQoC7VqUlZCOWexoB4719Z6LJacssv4OI7aohVDIbsQt8rdWSKKR8VW4dUO5YZLyuHx2hTfEduvIk1Qfz86nkK25PflJvr9D4cBKzarD_vIJmskH4Edkqi9nuICZwTcws/w480-h640/OQVC4746.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>During breakfast on the wrap around porch the following morning, I mentioned to the gentleman who checked me in that I didn't really have a plan for the day. That I needed to get to Dallas by Sunday for a flight. He lit up and suggested Jefferson, TX. "There are hundreds of B&Bs there," he said, "not as big as this one, but all Victorian." And then he said, "And there's this fudge shop." He put his palm on his chest and gasped. I really wanted to go there, buy him some fudge and mail it to him, but Jefferson was just too far out of my way. </div><div><br /></div><div>Instead I started driving to Oklahoma, because....well, when Krista and I first started dating, I took a 12 day road trip (between jobs) to Mount Rushmore (it's all available in the blog). For every state we thought I'd pass, she gave me a little envelope with facts about the state and a little note. I asked her to do the same for this trip and wanted to take a picture with the envelopes at each State's welcome sign. </div><div><br /></div><div>So far, all I had was this, because I either couldn't stop at the state signs or there wasn't one on this random road.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmjbMlKZQriWGLEEBP2GMreh0eQd2TjsotU1v_fo0YRrxx0_DN07j7BJRRXyrhuH5XvzWE-O_7ya74R-zrhZznsGCxnnIv9sXTz36ZRNTG1NKuyfTHIInu1-4wkfG3bkNK76O_A7EkIw/s2048/IMG_5120%255B2%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmjbMlKZQriWGLEEBP2GMreh0eQd2TjsotU1v_fo0YRrxx0_DN07j7BJRRXyrhuH5XvzWE-O_7ya74R-zrhZznsGCxnnIv9sXTz36ZRNTG1NKuyfTHIInu1-4wkfG3bkNK76O_A7EkIw/w480-h640/IMG_5120%255B2%255D.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>Ok, I'm fading again. My breakfast is done and this coffee isn't doing anything for me. I've got to go take a nap or I'm going to fall asleep on my keyboard. </div><div><br /></div><div>Bullet points to talk about later.</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Little Rock - Couldn't find the Clinton library, which was closed anyway</li><li>Aiming for Broken Bow to take state line pictures</li><li>Garvan Woodland Gardens (as suggested by the woman I met at the Center of the Universe)</li><li>Murphreesboro - Diamond mines</li><li>Broken NOPE - "No Hoodies or No Masks. Take them off before you come in." </li><li>Paris, TX and the Eiffel Tower (which is at a high school and also a war memorial?)</li><li>Warwick-Melrose Hotel in Dallas (ending where I started)</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK0Sdm9icNMSVW9jm_Bpv_DrsK18mv6UlnAhVcrQ57mNg2KFXPREXsbeC3dubQ6YgmBmaad5z-jSWOE-pprQAjdy7Jc2F80Q8hSzI3OESDlJ4krOG0CbVlBVgbYikgsfPVQ2P9ndL9KA/s6000/DSC01405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK0Sdm9icNMSVW9jm_Bpv_DrsK18mv6UlnAhVcrQ57mNg2KFXPREXsbeC3dubQ6YgmBmaad5z-jSWOE-pprQAjdy7Jc2F80Q8hSzI3OESDlJ4krOG0CbVlBVgbYikgsfPVQ2P9ndL9KA/w640-h426/DSC01405.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>I couldn't nap, but I did shower. That might help.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>This was as close as I got to the Clinton Library. This is the Capitol Building. Google Maps kept rerouting and turning me in circles and putting me in parking lots that were not the library. I looked it up later and I'm pretty sure that the library is next to or behind this, but there was construction and road/parking lot closures, so I couldn't get to it. Also, it was closed anyway.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next stop, Broken Bow. The goal really was to get to the state line and reassess. </div><div><br />This started a series of happy (sort of) accidents, where I ended up at places I heard about, did not plan on going to, never Googled and found myself in the middle of. </div><div><br /></div><div>About an hour out of Little Rock, I saw a sign for <a href="https://www.garvangardens.org/" target="_blank">Garvan Woodland Gardens</a>. Remember the woman I met at the Center of the Universe (Tulsa)? She and her husband said they liked Presidential Libraries? She also recommended Garvan. I put it in my phone, but never looked it up and had no idea what part of Arkansas I would find it. A sign told me to turn left for the gardens and I couldn't pass it up, as it was only 5 or 10 minutes off my route anyway. </div><div><br /></div><div>HUGE parking lot. And then I realized it was a large self-guided walking tour of who-knows-what. I told you, I never looked it up, but I was game. Krista said there was a really cool structure to see, much like the chapel yesterday, so I paid the $15 and started walking. </div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe 2 minutes later, the car's air conditioning wore off my body and I realized that it was warm out. Y'all know I don't like to be hot, so I called Krista and said, "What am I supposed to see here?" She said, "The tree house. And if you see any flowers, can you send me a picture". I booked it for the tree house and by the time I got there, I was too hot to give a damn. </div><div><br /></div><div>I really hate this about my body. If I overheat, even slightly, my mood drops through to the center of the Earth and there is nothing I can do about it. There's no drinking water or taking a beat to settle into it. Unless I lay down and prepare to die, or get back into an air conditioned space, my body SCREAMS flight/flight/freeze and all I can do is get mad. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWGKxIjKLikqc-NXTOL_8GvJk_qy9rvmZgvikN4XaJJPHlyjkncV3G-Zjm4ixZ99Pu5OcDTBj2nD3uvyD2muqCHYADnrI9HWHmlftpAazA5f_buKpl4qrTUC1-vOJBGcpwv7_DSRHMC0/s6000/DSC01409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWGKxIjKLikqc-NXTOL_8GvJk_qy9rvmZgvikN4XaJJPHlyjkncV3G-Zjm4ixZ99Pu5OcDTBj2nD3uvyD2muqCHYADnrI9HWHmlftpAazA5f_buKpl4qrTUC1-vOJBGcpwv7_DSRHMC0/w426-h640/DSC01409.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDi3DRUbA7eiSZ2oCpdrCC8iAdvZHs9EUfh8MRYm8ScrH_FZvMHm5s0kZN3pT0UaKhw6N9vIsZRr4wgrhH8U5FQBYAkUuSs94yTfGndObhWXdMIEFy_IwucEgX-rUMYUZsNuX7m6qANU/s2048/IMG_5168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDi3DRUbA7eiSZ2oCpdrCC8iAdvZHs9EUfh8MRYm8ScrH_FZvMHm5s0kZN3pT0UaKhw6N9vIsZRr4wgrhH8U5FQBYAkUuSs94yTfGndObhWXdMIEFy_IwucEgX-rUMYUZsNuX7m6qANU/w480-h640/IMG_5168.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuk2WganLajKBrGQ4hHuNF1FT-cS_GqHmWBOJGcGZuhShldxs9mztyXDLHvC4DjZUqvc3nKw9ERENPCfSyvhob0DAauGqGK50mdtpGCYEQW6ysA21mewzsWu244tyl2BbAG85FnHjYJ4/s2048/IMG_5172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuk2WganLajKBrGQ4hHuNF1FT-cS_GqHmWBOJGcGZuhShldxs9mztyXDLHvC4DjZUqvc3nKw9ERENPCfSyvhob0DAauGqGK50mdtpGCYEQW6ysA21mewzsWu244tyl2BbAG85FnHjYJ4/w640-h480/IMG_5172.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">How I posed</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEpjXkw0gLQgDnDRKRUBcJX4rcn6MTNecrDuyaXQE18g4syz6XlI4zPGvQ_0V4-ulLgWsB-29opgZGF_MW4g3u42Tcc1yyBsHjLvgOWPOXC3KB5OIyEVvTuToMiy2Cw5cWjWeu-M_PKY/s2048/OGBL8408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEpjXkw0gLQgDnDRKRUBcJX4rcn6MTNecrDuyaXQE18g4syz6XlI4zPGvQ_0V4-ulLgWsB-29opgZGF_MW4g3u42Tcc1yyBsHjLvgOWPOXC3KB5OIyEVvTuToMiy2Cw5cWjWeu-M_PKY/w480-h640/OGBL8408.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">How I really felt</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The structure was VERY cool (not temperature wise, unfortunately). You could climb around in there, so I did, because I'd made it this far, but every picture I took was quick and without aiming. I just wanted to prove that I'd been there and get out. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFw4DU4oS0Mw7PJjODso4yNCHIgAmpKusR5g9Antn-vwFSGdmiHyvJMO76sm0gE2j9EUgLp91m55euPZKnxbcejOKFRT5pOFtEOlvLQxvXDyi6Oec1tdyyHcMQ1LDPc9s57Zcf6E3S28/s6000/DSC01415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFw4DU4oS0Mw7PJjODso4yNCHIgAmpKusR5g9Antn-vwFSGdmiHyvJMO76sm0gE2j9EUgLp91m55euPZKnxbcejOKFRT5pOFtEOlvLQxvXDyi6Oec1tdyyHcMQ1LDPc9s57Zcf6E3S28/w640-h426/DSC01415.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuE1qhWeFk6LAHL57n7XOjyGceUK8Wjv7N8kcJeuy3keas4Jdu1lYsAmsOOSKiAR6VYuRVrGzdGGolGJGpTtPWvmD_ixzkBcpyF1w2qsf-2NYEgYhNgSm73zMVY1Wdvlea5CWGL08myA/s6000/DSC01416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuE1qhWeFk6LAHL57n7XOjyGceUK8Wjv7N8kcJeuy3keas4Jdu1lYsAmsOOSKiAR6VYuRVrGzdGGolGJGpTtPWvmD_ixzkBcpyF1w2qsf-2NYEgYhNgSm73zMVY1Wdvlea5CWGL08myA/w640-h426/DSC01416.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8s1SsYz_mg7ZFuQkIpET4u3gyRjaoRDMGWW8NmAPK1GUmCyhW6Mr7d8Bw-N21SrtqjrGuRcGDgDofZD3B8zXj3Q95ZEDUQw5l6vvZn-pyZSICYHEs3WzSlT8w91YCksPl0aYP6jgycQ/s6000/DSC01421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8s1SsYz_mg7ZFuQkIpET4u3gyRjaoRDMGWW8NmAPK1GUmCyhW6Mr7d8Bw-N21SrtqjrGuRcGDgDofZD3B8zXj3Q95ZEDUQw5l6vvZn-pyZSICYHEs3WzSlT8w91YCksPl0aYP6jgycQ/w426-h640/DSC01421.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I called Krista and said, "I don't see any flowers. Can I send you a picture of a Doberman instead?" She was kind and agreed.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MSa_8In-AQ1L5Mo3Oy02eHGkw8y0nmEAzARSSSoJLz3ER8CZL6snElcE6aoHmgr1091MIWN7wMAMd1-AlvoBrjbRZpJjqINbk474U87foIt8D1EW_XEM9aHa-v61y_O8EXH4yOEIV9I/s2048/PMVJ2893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MSa_8In-AQ1L5Mo3Oy02eHGkw8y0nmEAzARSSSoJLz3ER8CZL6snElcE6aoHmgr1091MIWN7wMAMd1-AlvoBrjbRZpJjqINbk474U87foIt8D1EW_XEM9aHa-v61y_O8EXH4yOEIV9I/w480-h640/PMVJ2893.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The minute I got back in the car, I changed my shirt, which was completely drenched. I pounded a bottle of water and then remembered that I had a cooling towel in the bag I'd been carrying around. IDIOT. That would have been good to remember 20 minutes ago.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Next stop, Broken Bow! Only, it wasn't. Another hour or so down the road, I saw a sign for Murfreesboro. Now, the joke here is that Krista and I have played Red Dead Redemption 2 a couple of times and there's a clan knows as the Murfree Brood. They're the worst people in the game. They love to torture folks and leave them for dead, basically. So, of course I'd have to stop in Murfreesboro...you know, just to make sure the game wasn't based on real events. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Turns out it's a diamond mining town. Or was. It's small and cute and everyone I talked to (I went into three shops) was so nice!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJvY99ngUPTUXFYVxapo4gMA3FHAoAa8rw0NWmKHLBrfJe6LS5NhHmjh9U4rcIPRyxe7aagBGuTLerTGyP2mJ-XPsg1F57e7xDEbN8Cbs1wcI1bt33ipQpl4vFPVNG5aSM0y4yyHkNlU/s6000/DSC01424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJvY99ngUPTUXFYVxapo4gMA3FHAoAa8rw0NWmKHLBrfJe6LS5NhHmjh9U4rcIPRyxe7aagBGuTLerTGyP2mJ-XPsg1F57e7xDEbN8Cbs1wcI1bt33ipQpl4vFPVNG5aSM0y4yyHkNlU/w640-h426/DSC01424.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNHTma5atr0VRxBv2ocIxMazkRgz335OJF60k8_W46c4KvwOKBSh5K30EsP4EiVYkeLY70q5C4TvrFhfKxA1QN8llJ6jHnLzRsDVb0DH3DZBJKGlLSPYU7oEozGtuTs1sCE99H7wLqWA/s6000/DSC01426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNHTma5atr0VRxBv2ocIxMazkRgz335OJF60k8_W46c4KvwOKBSh5K30EsP4EiVYkeLY70q5C4TvrFhfKxA1QN8llJ6jHnLzRsDVb0DH3DZBJKGlLSPYU7oEozGtuTs1sCE99H7wLqWA/w640-h426/DSC01426.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhc50yWKl7NxzOI56pT2IPsLg0a9TOAJEt6xKgfQ2_oPdd_NE943DTFj7ZYLVTDIOiIEmnDDY5_fzgYqNODK91WkerrPq1EDZmH1PbfoIa2eRKhihY2HH2M1Kdk8HiGLvIKkatpsGtM8/s6000/DSC01428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhc50yWKl7NxzOI56pT2IPsLg0a9TOAJEt6xKgfQ2_oPdd_NE943DTFj7ZYLVTDIOiIEmnDDY5_fzgYqNODK91WkerrPq1EDZmH1PbfoIa2eRKhihY2HH2M1Kdk8HiGLvIKkatpsGtM8/w640-h426/DSC01428.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Have you ever been reminded of Christmas while sweating your ass off?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDFpSTnYBifvyL9klYhaVDK5WGmZ_a08H39rkvUBpxnGcHGDBtsWRzMsDHNRji8ncORYeuQXz0kjkB9dA6EasuRlyo0Vbhs17b8n41ceRwsmlZ8zM4B61W1TXDKOzR58l9AIhYb7sJps/s6000/DSC01430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDFpSTnYBifvyL9klYhaVDK5WGmZ_a08H39rkvUBpxnGcHGDBtsWRzMsDHNRji8ncORYeuQXz0kjkB9dA6EasuRlyo0Vbhs17b8n41ceRwsmlZ8zM4B61W1TXDKOzR58l9AIhYb7sJps/w640-h426/DSC01430.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOww80pGbzeiUXjHIZIeEcfDqp7WwrhLQEDh26CnBlj8kdJLmrfUfF_D5wMhFTDSYPyR2monaYGulnVXgUAm2D992MD588aleepsGLaNinIVNyit6hzRvBCEVVQ-KEpJ_RfcGyzGb2HaM/s2048/IMG_5181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOww80pGbzeiUXjHIZIeEcfDqp7WwrhLQEDh26CnBlj8kdJLmrfUfF_D5wMhFTDSYPyR2monaYGulnVXgUAm2D992MD588aleepsGLaNinIVNyit6hzRvBCEVVQ-KEpJ_RfcGyzGb2HaM/w640-h480/IMG_5181.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenQb1mwqdHHPxtYOIPgPDZdYhlJqpuqB9sPShUkdDJdHz0LTj-DvpDou3YB_zgyquO1ihVCIMQV4ko2Td3vRFHv_lU6iJ6JWh0gDnsD-1vGavCRYBxZUcIiz29JtE0vIMI-7KCnEyuiQ/s2048/IMG_5184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenQb1mwqdHHPxtYOIPgPDZdYhlJqpuqB9sPShUkdDJdHz0LTj-DvpDou3YB_zgyquO1ihVCIMQV4ko2Td3vRFHv_lU6iJ6JWh0gDnsD-1vGavCRYBxZUcIiz29JtE0vIMI-7KCnEyuiQ/w480-h640/IMG_5184.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>Ok, now really. Broken Bow!</div><div><br /></div><div>I made it to the state line and got my pictures!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMwQtUa7QLgqrmpF9b0F44I7qwcY4dbFFp4lNnQ0J5bBBhyphenhyphenJI47Xs6D1sguDwamguK7ZKkHeyhqMaah_b9ULEVqH17no7_ZJqSlZKxMRGWiGpwsbVNoC7gorfI8pWrvGZQt9tKzEJc9s/s2048/IMG_5189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMwQtUa7QLgqrmpF9b0F44I7qwcY4dbFFp4lNnQ0J5bBBhyphenhyphenJI47Xs6D1sguDwamguK7ZKkHeyhqMaah_b9ULEVqH17no7_ZJqSlZKxMRGWiGpwsbVNoC7gorfI8pWrvGZQt9tKzEJc9s/w480-h640/IMG_5189.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoxqBMXntVoiT__pHKgFpaJG1XVoRFt8sR8Ub7wOmNkAt_Z7nHs6XNtFgE7Qx4botrQxBHCMec8QuO2iLBtLFlTMjjqsHslQKQN4vyrBY2GNocXjSK2DTOPd8AAbwIq5UZGDhIiCTMRg/s2048/IMG_5192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoxqBMXntVoiT__pHKgFpaJG1XVoRFt8sR8Ub7wOmNkAt_Z7nHs6XNtFgE7Qx4botrQxBHCMec8QuO2iLBtLFlTMjjqsHslQKQN4vyrBY2GNocXjSK2DTOPd8AAbwIq5UZGDhIiCTMRg/w480-h640/IMG_5192.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>And then I had to pee. Now, if you remember my story from yesterday, I was not looking forward to my next bathroom experience, but it was a little worse (at least psychologically) than the loose toilet from yesterday.</div><div><br /></div><div>I arrived or maybe was just about to arrive in Broken bow. There were two gas stations and I picked the one that was burning whole trees out the back. As I walked up to the front door, fastening my mask around my ears, I saw the sign.</div><div><br /></div><div>"No Hoodies or No Masks. Take them off before you come in." I paused. A little shocked. And got by in my car. I'd rather piss myself than meet the person who wrote that sign. </div><div><br /></div><div>First of all, it should read, "No hoodies or masks," but it could have just as easily read, "COVID only!" Being that close to ignorance, gave my heart a start. I immediately felt unsafe and was heading towards the town itself and still had to pee. </div><div><br /></div><div>I had been wearing a baseball cap, but took that off and tried to smooth my hair down in a non-gay way, though I was wearing long shorts and bright yellow vans. I found a Shell station, or something I'd recognized, put on my mask, walked by bikers and big dudes and women - no masks. I opened the door into the convenience part of the station. There must have been 20 people inside and they ALL looked at me. I coughed loudly into my mask, as if to say, "Maybe I've got the COVID and don't want to give it to you!" Luckily the bathroom was to my left and available. My adrenaline was racing and when I was done, I tried not to look at anyone while exiting, though I did hear a woman (who was flipping burgers) loudly say, "Oh, yeah. I saw!" </div><div><br /></div><div>Now, as a lady and as a gay lady to boot, I have on many occasions taken other people's conversations out of context and worried that it was about me. Are the kids in school laughing at me, sniggering about my outfit or the way I walk? Are the people in the Broken Bow, Arkansas gas station gawking at me because I believe in science and not Jesus? (Also, why is it that towns like this with advertised ignorance also have the largest Jesus signs? And Trump signs? It's not a great connection, folks.)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_Mfr6VA_CJDKEupktdWk9cLk2_QfWJ3AZernOB8hb_IBJZPo2vAb7meSqTyT9EhyphenhyphenC5K6LF-OgV_Tu151szlhB6QprggPqMstCFy290ex9PdwQo6jwFZKrYlTQAaj084_Su5-v82xx_Y/s6000/DSC01435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_Mfr6VA_CJDKEupktdWk9cLk2_QfWJ3AZernOB8hb_IBJZPo2vAb7meSqTyT9EhyphenhyphenC5K6LF-OgV_Tu151szlhB6QprggPqMstCFy290ex9PdwQo6jwFZKrYlTQAaj084_Su5-v82xx_Y/w640-h426/DSC01435.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismJL88IICj3AVquBufQWxutRxcBvk7y0sIxLnGs1HiHTtdU_dOpMrn6m6VbPeOA1_LkiGta4D8HqU4j0ZwcfB37ygRx6eQs8ckikffRF1CGTbz8xFLw5V1i-SMdMphiUXc28A-zp6TxU/s6000/DSC01442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismJL88IICj3AVquBufQWxutRxcBvk7y0sIxLnGs1HiHTtdU_dOpMrn6m6VbPeOA1_LkiGta4D8HqU4j0ZwcfB37ygRx6eQs8ckikffRF1CGTbz8xFLw5V1i-SMdMphiUXc28A-zp6TxU/w640-h426/DSC01442.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sorry, I don't want to get political or religious. I'm just pointing out that I feel the most unsafe and judged when I'm in outwardly Republican and religious places. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Moving on from Broken bow. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, with my adrenaline at a 9.5, I found myself wide awake and ready to drive as long and as far as I needed to in order to feel safe again. Unfortunately, I had no signal, which was not good for my adrenalin or my maps! I turned left (why not?) and followed highway signs that pointed south. I even looked at my compass (app) and though I was on a southern highway, my compass said I was going Northeast. The exact opposite direction I wanted to go. Get me to Texas! (said no one ever). About 10 minutes later, I had enough signal for Google maps, typed in my destination and was on my way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It took me about 30 minutes to calm down and settle into the scenery. Whenever I do these long road trips, there always comes a point when the driving is easy. I'll have a pretty straight road that isn't a four lane highway, cruise control activated and good music or an audiobook on the stereo. On drives like this, time feels irrelevant and the scenery sinks into my bones. These are my favorites times. I tend to pull over randomly and take pictures of buildings or cows or wide open spaces that never look as good as a picture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKjqrFosWoUCy6PbSWbkpfBDe5-s1jSrbsdBoPPRe7aVzanlz_N4Myg9yTkS0G4FLi2AWlCYjFvIYZoTfzirUgL2dNTeT5CZrGzedFnZyXerq8M-SJJoOl-4tKUOeNsK1mRh-VmEIAC8/s6000/DSC01449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKjqrFosWoUCy6PbSWbkpfBDe5-s1jSrbsdBoPPRe7aVzanlz_N4Myg9yTkS0G4FLi2AWlCYjFvIYZoTfzirUgL2dNTeT5CZrGzedFnZyXerq8M-SJJoOl-4tKUOeNsK1mRh-VmEIAC8/w640-h426/DSC01449.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9xMIbeGFTzrTJLtwn8ZNqXOMsqoC4NN8STUhjQzIRmGE2sk1Tzy3FemPbaygdAmm_pvbWZh7XaaqUbJYyptqPInVe1z05ReGdoV-Ie4fh3D9aDIU56ELjNGydmj7pEai0BDVe_zgur0/s6000/DSC01450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9xMIbeGFTzrTJLtwn8ZNqXOMsqoC4NN8STUhjQzIRmGE2sk1Tzy3FemPbaygdAmm_pvbWZh7XaaqUbJYyptqPInVe1z05ReGdoV-Ie4fh3D9aDIU56ELjNGydmj7pEai0BDVe_zgur0/w640-h426/DSC01450.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3jbV8bTntnqKsxlNrRzVLV3HzeFXZ8_GpK6hAjYPwENkJf_HPtTR7DtWsENZiq0vZiz6_atCZVuu6KeKmyJEeBebLiaTreiekn5SiBSjwarRX9_F_FSHacJIYn3-j_93NX5hidfS2dg/s6000/DSC01452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3jbV8bTntnqKsxlNrRzVLV3HzeFXZ8_GpK6hAjYPwENkJf_HPtTR7DtWsENZiq0vZiz6_atCZVuu6KeKmyJEeBebLiaTreiekn5SiBSjwarRX9_F_FSHacJIYn3-j_93NX5hidfS2dg/w640-h426/DSC01452.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And every once in a while, you end up somewhere you'd only ever heard about in jokes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf75r6OKXAKC0KcsWIsMEgz8VpwoHQaMFjNnJEEcUEoK_SxDM-LIo7fyiLNKcGwguors4ECV5Ne-typTybi6WbzFv226LrGGEeb4Aq2rKzZJOIW1QaFdpC_OWx6cpz_u3tncpdwu1H-x4/s2048/IMG_5204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf75r6OKXAKC0KcsWIsMEgz8VpwoHQaMFjNnJEEcUEoK_SxDM-LIo7fyiLNKcGwguors4ECV5Ne-typTybi6WbzFv226LrGGEeb4Aq2rKzZJOIW1QaFdpC_OWx6cpz_u3tncpdwu1H-x4/w480-h640/IMG_5204.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's right! Paris, Texas! They commissioned a small version of the Eiffel Tower and put a cowboy hat on it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The part that you might not know is the context. And this is another reason I love traveling. When someone says a place that I've been, I know what it feels like, smells like, etc. If you said to me, "Cologne, Germany" I'm going to remember sitting with strangers in a cafe, staring out at an amazing cathedral. But I'm also going to remember where I parked and how hard it was to find an ATM. I have strange little memories from all over. Boys trying to sell me fireworks in Paris when I was trying to get a glimpse of the real Eiffel Tower from miles away. Gummy bears on my pillow at a hotel in the Black Forrest. Stumbling upon a Gaudi building by accident in Barcelona. I only knew I was there, because the tourists in front of me were all pointing their cameras behind me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Paris Texas Eiffel Tower is right next to a war memorial, which is also right next to the Pairs Texas High School. There were kids playing basketball in the 90+ degree heat right next to me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplo8tN076m1v6kqQBVxeFSvbFdCFS-weNh6TdgJ8tAYwjMjPCkfID-BYaehk9k2H94fJCeTP3z-XLK-_BcbTRWN5UE1e2ZGg0doP18Z_NGmj2ifjZMLZ6CXJIFwCwXH4eh7xULnatHR8/s6000/DSC01445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplo8tN076m1v6kqQBVxeFSvbFdCFS-weNh6TdgJ8tAYwjMjPCkfID-BYaehk9k2H94fJCeTP3z-XLK-_BcbTRWN5UE1e2ZGg0doP18Z_NGmj2ifjZMLZ6CXJIFwCwXH4eh7xULnatHR8/w426-h640/DSC01445.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0kqvGMmCEnSRrGXPOvWQXiYVH29AndVTBPnN-vjr_TgirughPFkYYGgdbtVqr2QgiOVo9kGBNFYZAJfHi5iShQvjpyRYaQpp28-qan6cx5E3MznYgjipmoOFtPHIZvbNs5ab5o35mBg/s6000/DSC01446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0kqvGMmCEnSRrGXPOvWQXiYVH29AndVTBPnN-vjr_TgirughPFkYYGgdbtVqr2QgiOVo9kGBNFYZAJfHi5iShQvjpyRYaQpp28-qan6cx5E3MznYgjipmoOFtPHIZvbNs5ab5o35mBg/w640-h426/DSC01446.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yeah, this is a sign for the high school</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had some dinner in Paris, Texas and decided to drive through to Dallas. I stayed in the same hotel I had a week ago and asked for a late check out, which gave me time to finish up this blog. I might go check out a museum after this, since I still have a few hours before my flight. But I don't know what will happen next, and I love it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love traveling. I love tapping into curiosity and whimsy and not knowing where I'll end up next or what I'll see or who I'll meet. Sure, there are scary times, or sad times when you see 30 dead armadillos in like 10 minutes along a road in Arkansas...yeah, that happened. Sometimes, I get stuck in the heat or a dodgy bathroom or I end up going 10 hours without eating a meal because I don't want to stop and I have nuts or other snacks strewn about the car. But most of the time, my brain is happy to learn bits and pieces about the world. To know what the landscape is like in Nebraska vs Ireland or what the bridges look like in Sydney vs Little Rock (I'm sorry I didn't get pictures of the bridges, they were really cool). My heart is happy be out and about, doing something new. I'm fulfilled in a way that I can't get by reading books or watching documentaries about a place. To be there and let it sink into me, to feel a place...I need that in this life. I need to know what its like to cry with strangers at a the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial museum. Oh, all the sudden, I'm remembering the time I was getting dinner at a town square in Viet Nam and everyone started walking away. All walking the same direction. I followed them and ended up at the water. There were a thousand people or more sitting around, mostly peacefully. It turned out to be their Independence Day and an incredible fireworks show took place right in front of me. I have been so lucky to see what I have in this life. To sneak into a closed drive-in and have it all to myself, to go for a walk on Route 66 and see what happens after the sunsets at a big neon pop sculpture, to be surprised by Bentonville Arkansas - these are gifts and I am truly happy to receive them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Get out there, folks. Drive down a dirt road. Have a dog bark at you. Be safe. But be adventurous. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Until next time...</div><br /><div><br /></div>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-64201458856286685362021-08-07T21:08:00.001-07:002021-08-07T21:20:34.127-07:00No really: Bentonville to Little Rock<p>I am alive! And awake! Both of these are excellent things, which goes without saying, I suppose, but I drove from Little Rock, Arkansas to Dallas, Texas today, which can be a 4hr 40min drive, if you take toll roads and go straight there, which I did not do. According to Google Maps, the route I took was 6hrs and 34min. I left Little Rock at 11am and got to Dallas at 8:45pm, so....yeah. Another long day. But my last real "free" day.</p><p>Side note (already?!), if I'm on a road trip, I'm not getting the toll pass from the car rental place because it's a total rip off. "What? I have to pay $20 a day to be able to use a toll road and still pay the toll? Up yours!"</p><p>OK, I'm about to have a salad / take a little break, so I'm going to bullet point what I want to catch you up on from the last two days.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The toilet incident (I've got your attention, don't I?)</li><li>Goats, Deer, Armadillo</li><li>B&B heaven / Fudge, clutch pearls, gasp</li><li>Rage Monster: Cramps and Heat</li><li>Settling In</li><li>Decision Fatigue</li><li>The general pattern of road trips - aka Me and Road Trips</li><li>Peeing in fear (different than "The toilet incident")</li><li>What I packed but didn't touch, except to move it out of my way</li><li>Snacks & Drinks</li></ul><div>Unlike last night, I'm not going to leave you hanging. Though I am tired, I don't have to drive anywhere tomorrow and I arranged a late check out of 1pm, so I can really sleep in and recuperate a little before flying home on a 5:40pm flight out of Dallas. </div><div><br /></div><div>You might have noticed the title of this particular blog post. "No really: Bentonville to Little Rock". You may have further notice that I said I am in Dallas and gave you bullet points of stuff from today. Well, yesterday's blog post was a miss. I tried, y'all, I really did, but I was so tired, I just couldn't. So, I thought I'd have a do over. I'll write about today in the next post.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's begin.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday, Bentonville, Arkansas. After checking out of the Victoria B&B, I went to Bentonville's town square. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WTBrQHbsg7FmJB1HXYjEscusJHym-XK2uDyhecqf3K9Avpud4j55JaGIYirLwPW-SbtgGru9DlfZO8sR9oHMEJXYFlSIilr5KsBZk-rAW2SBCyjugHpF6PWu2IqgBR7D6Cr7912ZWcY/s6000/DSC01268.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WTBrQHbsg7FmJB1HXYjEscusJHym-XK2uDyhecqf3K9Avpud4j55JaGIYirLwPW-SbtgGru9DlfZO8sR9oHMEJXYFlSIilr5KsBZk-rAW2SBCyjugHpF6PWu2IqgBR7D6Cr7912ZWcY/w640-h426/DSC01268.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCpynfeB1T6NSat4Yscu3MtHIHgiqWRypBOUmMuYuRTaYTMPcuS2IMxcEUJdkAm0ENvwXtqOkwb2OWI2kj3HmGZzPhhPFgu4qB4-bBoiuc7byLxLxjWU14_blapglUsrjPFfEAJFkpAY/s6000/DSC01273.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCpynfeB1T6NSat4Yscu3MtHIHgiqWRypBOUmMuYuRTaYTMPcuS2IMxcEUJdkAm0ENvwXtqOkwb2OWI2kj3HmGZzPhhPFgu4qB4-bBoiuc7byLxLxjWU14_blapglUsrjPFfEAJFkpAY/w426-h640/DSC01273.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucpF3zJvgTp1lzM9843Ok4cDWAG-BfampwyYlKAbLQ0Sw-hcl-WcofX2MytHGwV286a9EmSgP7iccMvN1TsUEz-PQcehcIIg8hc1fhEFI82aeXz9L7_KfGrLrfvFD2LvbUVyRlUVBRFo/s6000/DSC01288.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucpF3zJvgTp1lzM9843Ok4cDWAG-BfampwyYlKAbLQ0Sw-hcl-WcofX2MytHGwV286a9EmSgP7iccMvN1TsUEz-PQcehcIIg8hc1fhEFI82aeXz9L7_KfGrLrfvFD2LvbUVyRlUVBRFo/w426-h640/DSC01288.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div>It's cute and surprising and felt like Main St USA meets Walmart. I say that, because there is literally a Walmart Museum in the town square! Check out <a href="https://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/our-history" target="_blank">the history of Walmart here</a>, if you're interested. It was a free museum and told the story of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, and how he opened a 5 and 10 shop where the museum stands today. His vision was to make everyday items cheaper for the American people and, by God, he did it. You can't say Walmart doesn't sell cheap stuff. I was surprised to learn that he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992. The medal was in the museum, as was his truck, because he was a down-to-earth kind of Billionaire. I enjoyed the museum and I loved walking around the town square. The Geena Davis film festival was happening. Moana was playing. I sung and smiled as I walked by. It was perfect timing too, because it was Maui singing You're Welcome, which I only really know from watching <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQMwwQb1jmM" target="_blank">The Rock sing it to his daughter</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOyErH_aEHqzxz-v-jz671iDSizVEdAqApF9WrheKcyBOKzzddlzdD0vRcaYqqjeVuNPukSTwFqk07KCE_TGq6zqxFTJJAydVIVPFIE5tSpkOjRY4K4-N0Nl_ZFsrrR4jhlFCAgo2mY0/s6000/DSC01287.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOyErH_aEHqzxz-v-jz671iDSizVEdAqApF9WrheKcyBOKzzddlzdD0vRcaYqqjeVuNPukSTwFqk07KCE_TGq6zqxFTJJAydVIVPFIE5tSpkOjRY4K4-N0Nl_ZFsrrR4jhlFCAgo2mY0/w640-h426/DSC01287.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_89fGJemF2HDqcvKAcOoSrBMtLWS5QvcSKsuwxKsudxIjQc0ApN98KAVpA49g8UtrwW7d_91jCjrxivUbm53Zi7SgxAomkMxw19Z2h_A-s8VGashlQIkIDAWETkkPBls26I8sbfGeRM/s6000/DSC01312.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_89fGJemF2HDqcvKAcOoSrBMtLWS5QvcSKsuwxKsudxIjQc0ApN98KAVpA49g8UtrwW7d_91jCjrxivUbm53Zi7SgxAomkMxw19Z2h_A-s8VGashlQIkIDAWETkkPBls26I8sbfGeRM/w426-h640/DSC01312.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnbZnQLb6xWt2pEtKeawyGPwe1fIPUJRJzXkCAO9aCbHCPWzIH2XHJ-9epTTmJ4xJU8tT7-PGFDbWXOIsdPagbU8wS8OydSU92QtygT1AJl0KKgX2ngXaCvgHE3u9hI_WEsr0HqOSs3g/s6000/DSC01297.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnbZnQLb6xWt2pEtKeawyGPwe1fIPUJRJzXkCAO9aCbHCPWzIH2XHJ-9epTTmJ4xJU8tT7-PGFDbWXOIsdPagbU8wS8OydSU92QtygT1AJl0KKgX2ngXaCvgHE3u9hI_WEsr0HqOSs3g/w640-h426/DSC01297.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Other cute things in Bentonville (in pictures):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAye5JAm3N_Y2WwW-pUZO6-i__F25DD9DTprh7ye2JDgivpv1atfrcv0gs-scFJOF63RaB0LiTljyH_3UDcTTxDgrPLd7L3xxU454W0PZIBHnxVBSZl6nkuGSrC_bGKS3HyYTKLgR6lY/s6000/DSC01299.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAye5JAm3N_Y2WwW-pUZO6-i__F25DD9DTprh7ye2JDgivpv1atfrcv0gs-scFJOF63RaB0LiTljyH_3UDcTTxDgrPLd7L3xxU454W0PZIBHnxVBSZl6nkuGSrC_bGKS3HyYTKLgR6lY/w640-h426/DSC01299.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Barber Shop (notice the plant hair and the barber shop pole!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6p-xylMTPIstmjtvKhyphenhyphenhTrX3C-pfRRvBQ_euxShlGvPVxJc5U7aS9a77qxJAPxf8XbT5dHhOtcnI2r1giwc9fj8oMVHGq16J0wKiVVAt99YXg92MfpWyNWOzipHmPm6RfejWzvE7b7M/s6000/DSC01330.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6p-xylMTPIstmjtvKhyphenhyphenhTrX3C-pfRRvBQ_euxShlGvPVxJc5U7aS9a77qxJAPxf8XbT5dHhOtcnI2r1giwc9fj8oMVHGq16J0wKiVVAt99YXg92MfpWyNWOzipHmPm6RfejWzvE7b7M/w426-h640/DSC01330.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioITmTMSAFQOk5AQVHYu88RfqIRb_CS6N_pNFrHcFtE77OaC7lb6z3Yc3Uy1aNhPM7ImLXVDWhMS5LXkUY2Tug5VioR5XTj5jjJ1VWqGv-lnhvY6GRBX7_5AZIVTK5VOOUS6oyxFZcif0/s6000/DSC01334.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioITmTMSAFQOk5AQVHYu88RfqIRb_CS6N_pNFrHcFtE77OaC7lb6z3Yc3Uy1aNhPM7ImLXVDWhMS5LXkUY2Tug5VioR5XTj5jjJ1VWqGv-lnhvY6GRBX7_5AZIVTK5VOOUS6oyxFZcif0/w426-h640/DSC01334.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OtINqAxD6IxIEszDJmFCVLERuXoGxMVPtZcOJlJBstEhQMyHrhR05t6cVBk21b9DZKmJjd_fhEX31aPYdLCfQhrK7Jsb4FtSJyaQ6M5jFembqTiAo4teH_8h1yPdkrLa_Wly8aUdZn8/s2048/EKYX1783.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OtINqAxD6IxIEszDJmFCVLERuXoGxMVPtZcOJlJBstEhQMyHrhR05t6cVBk21b9DZKmJjd_fhEX31aPYdLCfQhrK7Jsb4FtSJyaQ6M5jFembqTiAo4teH_8h1yPdkrLa_Wly8aUdZn8/s320/EKYX1783.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKqLPQUCA6ORKLGe4NMdaOKYhF0rJSiH6j9fkjvJ_i6BgmCvyFqBPGLAQeRqmxEthIOjqG-1nBMUzaY6ox6RP-Kw0A21-y5lkIWvd7xch6_Vxm1TzWUn2F1xn6AO7K3jqlxfIrW19QzA/s2048/IMG_5109.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKqLPQUCA6ORKLGe4NMdaOKYhF0rJSiH6j9fkjvJ_i6BgmCvyFqBPGLAQeRqmxEthIOjqG-1nBMUzaY6ox6RP-Kw0A21-y5lkIWvd7xch6_Vxm1TzWUn2F1xn6AO7K3jqlxfIrW19QzA/s320/IMG_5109.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Even their graffiti is cute</p><p>That morning I didn't really have a plan of where to head to next. My only real goal was to get back to Dallas on Sunday (it was Friday). My B&B host said that Bentonville was the best place, but I could check out...honestly, I can't remember. Something River. Anyway, I put it in Google Maps and went on my way. </p><div>Cool things I saw were:</div><div>WILD GOATS munching on some grass. I suppose the goats could have lived in the property they were in front of, but there were four of them and they weren't behind a fence, nor did they have collars on (which I'm sure you don't do with goats ever, but how else are you supposed to know if they're wild?). </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJDxEDKrRfELLwDFi1rUmnozccdIsWYxHuv9leZS2HjLSYcPy2KbRdW8AqQ5vxCnZnIBKrUBYRiN1OqhT0MBvPbSr8feZ21uedGo6EVTSwW3mzP5ElZOK0bsr6EUZuoqvJSBt1ERJkyg/s6000/DSC01341.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJDxEDKrRfELLwDFi1rUmnozccdIsWYxHuv9leZS2HjLSYcPy2KbRdW8AqQ5vxCnZnIBKrUBYRiN1OqhT0MBvPbSr8feZ21uedGo6EVTSwW3mzP5ElZOK0bsr6EUZuoqvJSBt1ERJkyg/w640-h426/DSC01341.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjnxTQeO9eKSjPQH1S0tTNbvRD2dwpM3s1VxGM5oTjQasDnXro8-PR6vEhWXxOFoQCDheNzbT4j5bgvpf0Hdc0ciLbl94fu5X_O7IKlTRkCvmHvOmWEiV4ZrNaesFEpXliCNgO8vV7BU/s6000/DSC01342.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjnxTQeO9eKSjPQH1S0tTNbvRD2dwpM3s1VxGM5oTjQasDnXro8-PR6vEhWXxOFoQCDheNzbT4j5bgvpf0Hdc0ciLbl94fu5X_O7IKlTRkCvmHvOmWEiV4ZrNaesFEpXliCNgO8vV7BU/w640-h426/DSC01342.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUN4kJqbabYn5J9qxAdYW45kAiQ54w6DlR5oQRQsjveGXZ3IQ0wETIshfXunnRW6sx29n1Dmz6tQKnD5KVFcZeelAepJbxjrxUy2XuhwCOMug9bXFuxb6C8Z8dYcEr64m1WkGCnN9w5kU/s6000/DSC01344.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUN4kJqbabYn5J9qxAdYW45kAiQ54w6DlR5oQRQsjveGXZ3IQ0wETIshfXunnRW6sx29n1Dmz6tQKnD5KVFcZeelAepJbxjrxUy2XuhwCOMug9bXFuxb6C8Z8dYcEr64m1WkGCnN9w5kU/w640-h426/DSC01344.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>THE ROWDY BEAVER Tavern & Restaurant. I only stopped there for a bathroom break (and did actually break off part of the door to the stall, woops). Sometimes I don't know how safe it is for me (as a gay woman) in a town, but was happily surprised to find that this particular place had drag nights!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeblZ5puEYZNgO6xTKGu762aCRDJmGryBZ6wfed07InEhrbUqhARdmRXHfktrrt2E2R4Sgn4KmBwi1d2dlldbXi7Hvclb5sqSxVkJPiPpfMvK4eYM1xUbbLdtCFhyU1wiOTawwXn7Q2Q/s6000/DSC01345.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeblZ5puEYZNgO6xTKGu762aCRDJmGryBZ6wfed07InEhrbUqhARdmRXHfktrrt2E2R4Sgn4KmBwi1d2dlldbXi7Hvclb5sqSxVkJPiPpfMvK4eYM1xUbbLdtCFhyU1wiOTawwXn7Q2Q/w640-h426/DSC01345.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XwcuWZyAPgPVn6kzJGz_9lHy4M2buGW77BIPQL1_Ho4RTKrERjDt5dk4m7AO_cYMNaPnBk8ck-4hZdqAZ3SB41HDQMSssZDwZb0aeDYgxd6aPNqMEsTJCiwxXxaTEomXLeq-4jPD62s/s2048/IMG_5124.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XwcuWZyAPgPVn6kzJGz_9lHy4M2buGW77BIPQL1_Ho4RTKrERjDt5dk4m7AO_cYMNaPnBk8ck-4hZdqAZ3SB41HDQMSssZDwZb0aeDYgxd6aPNqMEsTJCiwxXxaTEomXLeq-4jPD62s/w480-h640/IMG_5124.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkM4b8P67vP5P4NQYj4tTq_Ey3rehHwu1D2G3Uz3GXIxdofxYoWwduBVtYeQd-9CKA58ThAyPsn7qDCkFA0Tqk2MH0WgYcRTmjRH4spfMjA-7y46TkVkzteKeAGBaiCGt-xzqlFZ0PMVQ/s2048/IMG_5125.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkM4b8P67vP5P4NQYj4tTq_Ey3rehHwu1D2G3Uz3GXIxdofxYoWwduBVtYeQd-9CKA58ThAyPsn7qDCkFA0Tqk2MH0WgYcRTmjRH4spfMjA-7y46TkVkzteKeAGBaiCGt-xzqlFZ0PMVQ/w480-h640/IMG_5125.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, Right! I did have plans other than the river thing. I went to Eureka Springs, but the main street was narrow and crowded. It felt like the Monterey Wharf with so many shops I didn't want to shop at and tourists that were only there for touristing. You know, obnoxious walk-in-the-street types with their bags of crap and art. Anyway, I drove straight through that town and ran into the <a href="https://www.esnarailway.com/" target="_blank">Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway</a>. All the tickets were sold out for a train lunch, so I walked around the yard snapping pictures. The coolest thing was an old car that had been modified to ride the rails.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUeCvnT5KMmRNEP2Z0KVsxcHYoC1q7Ema1AvzTdOnRO-WoGRD_MtgJRnUDEJsDjjRviMtW6sWBOd1_xNDnoRtXqFchIXoPmwbd0yAn3QkFyWmb_0YHLXkbsfkyVvcm9nzcLfXvGuJcde8/s6000/DSC01354.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUeCvnT5KMmRNEP2Z0KVsxcHYoC1q7Ema1AvzTdOnRO-WoGRD_MtgJRnUDEJsDjjRviMtW6sWBOd1_xNDnoRtXqFchIXoPmwbd0yAn3QkFyWmb_0YHLXkbsfkyVvcm9nzcLfXvGuJcde8/w640-h426/DSC01354.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28b5WgIbRlD97CIxwLGG7sM5_xJSvszNYVXljAtcDH3GsLd28nQFMR4okIVkDTLaNYIch77bsjGx6ImJOjnCgTm4hmQKx87RISB0tlP24vrUvURpFsRi3dnkDioo3Xq9Vu9PQL11zVHc/s6000/DSC01357.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28b5WgIbRlD97CIxwLGG7sM5_xJSvszNYVXljAtcDH3GsLd28nQFMR4okIVkDTLaNYIch77bsjGx6ImJOjnCgTm4hmQKx87RISB0tlP24vrUvURpFsRi3dnkDioo3Xq9Vu9PQL11zVHc/w640-h426/DSC01357.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDeofsMQKnC5Ef_m6V9deNduc1-a0IFX4EcNUm7CF73CMCprFBcRzfO8YV37NR1dof0JN9hzPcddHbO6j_MHa7NkyF2Fu3UDAJFuX31Ryz09MHBP5BHCHZc66P-pWve1T7pprN7aQyvY/s6000/DSC01358.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDeofsMQKnC5Ef_m6V9deNduc1-a0IFX4EcNUm7CF73CMCprFBcRzfO8YV37NR1dof0JN9hzPcddHbO6j_MHa7NkyF2Fu3UDAJFuX31Ryz09MHBP5BHCHZc66P-pWve1T7pprN7aQyvY/w640-h426/DSC01358.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1cjU0cqaHRAqtYDcYeOEIwyNw8wCn1C-FOwkR_nHbFyFDJktMshuezh0Fk8_QIsnCIl3jqjFKAtiIRA88QZqpgt3QXP6TueBYESrnzwC0LKgEjKYQ5W3c0WWoUYxx6SmfH5_LcnW-d4/s6000/DSC01359.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1cjU0cqaHRAqtYDcYeOEIwyNw8wCn1C-FOwkR_nHbFyFDJktMshuezh0Fk8_QIsnCIl3jqjFKAtiIRA88QZqpgt3QXP6TueBYESrnzwC0LKgEjKYQ5W3c0WWoUYxx6SmfH5_LcnW-d4/w640-h426/DSC01359.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Later, when I was nearing the something River that I'd randomly put in Google Maps, it had me turn down a dirt road. Not my first dirt road that day. I actually turned left down a dirt road, because I saw that I was only a few hundred feet from Missouri. I crossed the border and turned back around into Arkansas. Road trip fun! Anyway, this dirt road looked a little sketchy. Not scary or dangerous, just...it didn't look like it was going to lead me to a big reveal of some amazing river. Driving at maybe 15mph, but probably less, there was a house on my right and THEN there was a dog barking LOUDLY and chasing my car. I slammed on the breaks because I couldn't actually see him. I knew he was there because of the frantic barking and I think he actually ran into my car! He scared the shit out of me but was just a border collie trying to say hi, or maybe chase the car out of the yard. Anyway, I drove on very slowly, eventually the dog turned around and went back home, but I was sufficiently shook and also turned around to GTFO of there. The dog heard me coming again and ran right to the front of my car, bounding all over the place and barking like a fool. I could NOT see him and didn't want to run him over. I honked, didn't do any good, so I drove on assuming he's done this to everyone and would get out of the way. As I passed the border he approved, he came over to the driver's side door and dopily looked at me with his tongue out, then loped off back to the porch.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHt4Hgk114-Pou_GHuuE3yXlDxXFNboMe43gPA2Vg8rYRGbJXXYh51KthdeOmusnY2NenITiYTPSkTVBkRwc27vKESfR3-bq76ZmSxZ_HN8IOfnPCbB0dPoDvUhcOU6rULCmkxDYobw-4/s473/Guard+Dog.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="459" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHt4Hgk114-Pou_GHuuE3yXlDxXFNboMe43gPA2Vg8rYRGbJXXYh51KthdeOmusnY2NenITiYTPSkTVBkRwc27vKESfR3-bq76ZmSxZ_HN8IOfnPCbB0dPoDvUhcOU6rULCmkxDYobw-4/w622-h640/Guard+Dog.JPG" width="622" /></a></div><br /><div>That was enough fun for me. I decided to go to Little Rock, since I didn't have any other ideas of what to do in Arkansas. Krista helped me pick a place to stay and I drove a few more hours through the Ozark Mountains.</div><div><br /></div><div>At some point yesterday, I saw a <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/thorncrown-chapel" target="_blank">chapel</a>. It sure was fancy.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4ic9TpCB20YgvGZiID7qMoNLGbia062GzQsDiGB629OQnm-L_yAzMYzVNVgTZYuPNYj6f5dLhy27dFofK2BfxZhf2ghT-twT0wbS5RscOqD-rM5d0BIglNnecDe-Cr6a9wP17Rhik-o/s6000/DSC01363.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4ic9TpCB20YgvGZiID7qMoNLGbia062GzQsDiGB629OQnm-L_yAzMYzVNVgTZYuPNYj6f5dLhy27dFofK2BfxZhf2ghT-twT0wbS5RscOqD-rM5d0BIglNnecDe-Cr6a9wP17Rhik-o/w426-h640/DSC01363.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisamMfAcwM0uN7XCB1jah_yWdRd2KCa9yZT4uvdt69F9WgyUNBsIZ67AWXLFNEH3rSItCTZe-vlzC2D_nxDJHxwvHTd5Vdqx7z-GLvz75bUeBQrt01_xKferalFIjBUSwl8grx3rs8mQk/s6000/DSC01367.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisamMfAcwM0uN7XCB1jah_yWdRd2KCa9yZT4uvdt69F9WgyUNBsIZ67AWXLFNEH3rSItCTZe-vlzC2D_nxDJHxwvHTd5Vdqx7z-GLvz75bUeBQrt01_xKferalFIjBUSwl8grx3rs8mQk/w640-h426/DSC01367.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYqki6YEllyuZqNwTGNPn9H1vtqehO9crjLwTahUlgrDqxnb05Ft0hkdo_yr9f_ddUaQ_VaxZm2KbJWTOtk8nPuoUWt9D6NlUa6_IBnWBCajhEgkThp-KjbIh8lz7__VJlC7GSEFUQmA/s2048/IMG_5137.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYqki6YEllyuZqNwTGNPn9H1vtqehO9crjLwTahUlgrDqxnb05Ft0hkdo_yr9f_ddUaQ_VaxZm2KbJWTOtk8nPuoUWt9D6NlUa6_IBnWBCajhEgkThp-KjbIh8lz7__VJlC7GSEFUQmA/w480-h640/IMG_5137.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I was not enjoying the freedom of the road. I was tired. I was annoyed by the windy roads. My hands and wrists were sore, my leg was sore from adjusting the gas in the turns and elevation changes. That's why I didn't really care about the super cool chapel.</div><div><br /></div><div>And then I had to pee. </div><div><br /></div><div>You know how it goes. You're on a road trip in the middle of nowhere Arkansas and you've been pounding water because it's so dang hot in August. Something in your brain whispers, "Maybe keep an eye out for a bathroom." An hour later, something in your brain is screaming, "LOOK FOR A GOOD TREE TO HIDE BEHIND!" </div><div><br /></div><div>I was driving on a mountain road, there weren't many places to pull off. Occasionally though, I'd pass through a little town. The first time I pulled over, I saw the employee's car behind the gas station. In place of the front license plate was a confederate flag. No thank you. The next opportunity was a town that looked like a ghost town, only the ghosts were still alive. Finally, I saw a shop selling souvenirs. From the outside it looked clean and well painted. I parked and noticed there were bathrooms to the right. I went to the ladies and it looked clean enough. Cement everywhere, but the stall doors were nice wood, varnished, good latch. No hook to hang my bag. No toilet paper. Well, that's ok because I have some in the car. (Remember a few post back? Day one: always put a roll of TP in the car!) Grabbed the TP, put my bag in the trunk, went back in the stall, locked the door. It was a big stall actually. Very roomy. I sat down and will leave out the details of how good that pee felt. But when I sat down, I started to feel a little dizzy. Not dizzy exactly. A little wobbly. For a second or two, I thought nothing of it. When I drive long distances, especially on windy roads, I can get dizzy from time to time. Just the night before, when I closed my eyes to go to sleep, the bed felt like a boat. But then it kept going, this strange wobbling. I thought, maybe there's a little earthquake? I am from California, you know. Nah, that doesn't make sense. Maybe when I sat down, the toilet moved a little and it kinda messed my brain up. I'll (while peeing) give my butt a little wiggle. Just a little one, to see if maybe the toilet is a little squishy on the seal. Yup, sure enough the toilet moved with my butt. What bothered me was the sloshing. The water in the tank sloshed against the sides and sounded like water against the side of a boat. Immediately, I did that thing that women do when you don't want to touch the seat. We activate leg muscles that I don't think men have. It's a hover muscle that just sort of elevates you a little, but I was still going pretty good and really didn't want to accidentally hit the toilet in one direction or the other, sure it would just tip right over. So, as I waited to finish this epic pee, I half hovered, listening to the sloshing of the bowl underneath me, praying a little prayer that the water stay where it is and not splash up on me. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was lucky, and finished with no more drama. I tucked my TP roll under my arm and turned around to flush. Unfortunately, the toilet wouldn't flush. Well, that's just too bad. If it's yellow, let it mellow (or rock for a while, I guess). The soap dispenser was an automatic...that didn't have any soap. The faucet was automatic too...but no water. The paper towel dispenser....well, you get it. I got in my car quickly and drove off, wondering if I hadn't missed the sign that said, "Don't use the bathroom, it's just for show!" About a mile down the road at a scenic overlook, I pulled over and washed my hands with soap I'd taken from the B&B that morning and a bottle of water. I couldn't scrub hard enough. </div>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-84938123213537798002021-08-06T18:04:00.005-07:002021-08-06T19:24:02.398-07:00Bentonville to Little Rock via a stupid detour<p> I slept like I was clubbed or like I went clubbing or like my head was a club. But then I woke up in a delightful B&B and asked if they wouldn't mind serving my breakfast outside. </p><p>Honestly, I'm writing, but I don't really care. </p><p>I had a LOVELY morning and I want to do justice to the beautiful B&B and staff and breakfast and all of that, but I've had a hell of a day. One of those travel days where you don't enjoy it. The drive felt long and the mountainous winding roads hurt my hands and right calf muscle. I saw 6 dead armadillos and two dead deer and I didn't like it. I could not count how many raccoons, squirrels, mice. I think Arkansas should change it's State Nickname from "The Natural State" to the "Death is Natural" state or "The Roadkill State". </p><p>How can I talk about how a lovely French man made me gluten free French toast (oh, I just realized he was French and it was French toast!) with buckwheat flour (if you're in on the joke, you would have understood why I had to fight my own eyes to stop them from rolling) and "several" types of sweetener: honey, cane sugar and maple syrup. It was the best French toast I've ever had. I took one bite, smiled and let out a little moan and told the crows and the bees in the backyard with me, "This is delicious!" Then, poached eggs, turkey bacon, fresh fruit, strong coffee and slices of cucumber in a little stack, a sliver of avocado and a quarter of a tomato all with garlic salt. I'm drooling right now, thinking about it. And I was damned full after, which is good because I only really snacked today. </p><p>I've currently got a grubhub order on it's way. Grilled salmon, a "basket" of fried okra, lemonade, key lime pie and something else. I went NUTS. Oh, I remember, a pickled green tomato! What even is that?! </p><p>Before I started my journey, I made a list of items I wanted to buy. Magnets, a clay thrown mug (I don't know what those are actually called, but I have a mug like that...enamel fired...I don't know...and I really like it) and maybe a flannel shirt. </p><p>Ooh, my food is here!</p><p>Yeah, so, I got a mug a couple of magnets, a hat that I didn't need and no flannel. I'd like to get a couple more magnets but who cares really. It's just stuff. I don't even know where our magnets are right now. We put them in a box for the move at the end of 2020 and I haven't seen them since.</p><p>I am 100% full. So full of good food that I can hardly breathe. My nose is even stuffed up. What I really need is a good, long night's sleep. </p><p>This happens towards the end of every trip I take. I start having really long days that wipe me out and I write less and less meaningful stuff until I only post pictures and you have to guess the rest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFug-bs0B8fEc1Ag96QotLwbUIvnWtY7yZD6zD3UJyM11TA9-b3AkR5UYfVv_rxdGN1WeYpMlJuNGm-hYpxzuXtE4KcIzxJTkb4XnmKAsd290OTBMgtaLD0anXge_B27N1c0ILJPzDPvI/s6000/DSC01264.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFug-bs0B8fEc1Ag96QotLwbUIvnWtY7yZD6zD3UJyM11TA9-b3AkR5UYfVv_rxdGN1WeYpMlJuNGm-hYpxzuXtE4KcIzxJTkb4XnmKAsd290OTBMgtaLD0anXge_B27N1c0ILJPzDPvI/w426-h640/DSC01264.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghA2fjD9pd46TjQJAxh_RsyTcz2vpYX6wWO1nnCqtZ1u5PdJT2o6UyqypmdhN09vdfHr5GoCCHdETg-esX4RgxZhfVw7JQOiR6GPj9ThdBubYQeIFDdJVAgRTYTTkSdm_rsMo2PtYV8LE/s6000/DSC01273.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghA2fjD9pd46TjQJAxh_RsyTcz2vpYX6wWO1nnCqtZ1u5PdJT2o6UyqypmdhN09vdfHr5GoCCHdETg-esX4RgxZhfVw7JQOiR6GPj9ThdBubYQeIFDdJVAgRTYTTkSdm_rsMo2PtYV8LE/w426-h640/DSC01273.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3OoONP_CKYYRA-NBpeiokf9-9gIPaWdVZcmlSjykPZo4jCTjxccgADw4ByaKqWPb2tNWsj_yd5JBzpESI12WWXcfNT-_hQqOFhCyifzdNKHl9Z93VewvnQsZbEofqyPXlTuYFBe6eWQ/s6000/DSC01279.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3OoONP_CKYYRA-NBpeiokf9-9gIPaWdVZcmlSjykPZo4jCTjxccgADw4ByaKqWPb2tNWsj_yd5JBzpESI12WWXcfNT-_hQqOFhCyifzdNKHl9Z93VewvnQsZbEofqyPXlTuYFBe6eWQ/w640-h426/DSC01279.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFDwuWn0bwyLEiAWce07luDqVgRLCSOD5I4COlVO57CJshemMUqn6uR8wHMuBcTQNw8xLhYXr3xkl2SW4_rS24r9vNhyphenhyphenvt8aa01xult9BO54-OY5U-7DB_fzPApFmZ5hXM6PssMjqeR0/s6000/DSC01280.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFDwuWn0bwyLEiAWce07luDqVgRLCSOD5I4COlVO57CJshemMUqn6uR8wHMuBcTQNw8xLhYXr3xkl2SW4_rS24r9vNhyphenhyphenvt8aa01xult9BO54-OY5U-7DB_fzPApFmZ5hXM6PssMjqeR0/w640-h426/DSC01280.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>I'm all out of energy. Pictures and blurbs are all you get. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEVje2u4JzmRpwJDPZNcXJQ7OJz8exa4ist7HtTy_Ighf-Lkjgu3eS2ofpPkrlLgA1C-27I4t8KCHtZsjztttQW-cO20NA_7hyEIFzgSLKk8BakVjXlycth7yY0tkLv7DhJ3vAkzrCf4/s6000/DSC01297.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEVje2u4JzmRpwJDPZNcXJQ7OJz8exa4ist7HtTy_Ighf-Lkjgu3eS2ofpPkrlLgA1C-27I4t8KCHtZsjztttQW-cO20NA_7hyEIFzgSLKk8BakVjXlycth7yY0tkLv7DhJ3vAkzrCf4/w640-h426/DSC01297.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8vYgODFIcE8dPWTc9zVuNwg84N4BTLbPLQ2635FQ_IXAEb_hqAL27rXcmip57GBX3I0KcZfOY-Qv6-Yc4Fj61Kw224I50j_rKtDG_UDBU6N6UuYq98zJksGHLg8wXs9shNrkWOM8YUw/s6000/DSC01302.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8vYgODFIcE8dPWTc9zVuNwg84N4BTLbPLQ2635FQ_IXAEb_hqAL27rXcmip57GBX3I0KcZfOY-Qv6-Yc4Fj61Kw224I50j_rKtDG_UDBU6N6UuYq98zJksGHLg8wXs9shNrkWOM8YUw/w640-h426/DSC01302.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDiHRLDmflGWJ9Zd4Xa0kzITEPLjmUE5F3_V3l8qFqILetvYaKn_sAHAm7VINTNoemkxR4QNTyGUvy8DRiHbb6IJDsAdWrIYZ7pxvpiZ0eRRzZ-m_EAf9_mp3zl-BYTsa5Yu-tSllkyU/s6000/DSC01303.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDiHRLDmflGWJ9Zd4Xa0kzITEPLjmUE5F3_V3l8qFqILetvYaKn_sAHAm7VINTNoemkxR4QNTyGUvy8DRiHbb6IJDsAdWrIYZ7pxvpiZ0eRRzZ-m_EAf9_mp3zl-BYTsa5Yu-tSllkyU/w640-h426/DSC01303.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Walmart Museum</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUltpmeVxMV23VTwp9np2U0f65OUKK619f2j46XZ6iHHSXlIoBCiP_jEhWt79N21dnJqr3rag6UnSyEowsxWEUGJyDB2G_12r7k5wGC98BNre5ib4zXbr6tOZf0v1jn7ZRl0tmPLI87VU/s6000/DSC01322.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUltpmeVxMV23VTwp9np2U0f65OUKK619f2j46XZ6iHHSXlIoBCiP_jEhWt79N21dnJqr3rag6UnSyEowsxWEUGJyDB2G_12r7k5wGC98BNre5ib4zXbr6tOZf0v1jn7ZRl0tmPLI87VU/w426-h640/DSC01322.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2VfWRzayC0zKzKGTJh2Wo2PZxhqb2fBYvcLudjTk7Y9OqtZgItOYxM6SZw6EAsrnw_-5MvmQgl_Cl0YamTuS18Uypc-kXgXqkq1wICltV1zq9J9OGf6T6hk3imn_MpUSxql1M1agvBg/s6000/DSC01328.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2VfWRzayC0zKzKGTJh2Wo2PZxhqb2fBYvcLudjTk7Y9OqtZgItOYxM6SZw6EAsrnw_-5MvmQgl_Cl0YamTuS18Uypc-kXgXqkq1wICltV1zq9J9OGf6T6hk3imn_MpUSxql1M1agvBg/w426-h640/DSC01328.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KAm-jzWsw6pa_3SocqwBgDcmCyb92MEzlrKqdAPVHOGpnXoxMlY-XwMyoPYc4zwgxhVtD4Kt5UmVu2gBEM0Iv-QDmveJreHit5O8T4ZVF58NzYJ3psyjFsFc2rNIs0z3E3LKpkqAkzs/s6000/DSC01330.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KAm-jzWsw6pa_3SocqwBgDcmCyb92MEzlrKqdAPVHOGpnXoxMlY-XwMyoPYc4zwgxhVtD4Kt5UmVu2gBEM0Iv-QDmveJreHit5O8T4ZVF58NzYJ3psyjFsFc2rNIs0z3E3LKpkqAkzs/w426-h640/DSC01330.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmowBpw1TgI6kg6hUj9TtoABuWRbxTPLHcei8jNRewR2WDJ2f5U9cSeVI3pKrrCERiZyEVPOlhIDq2gSh7mUBJN6MrppBjGjBumraDvgq6_hGGu_MDkRafNPnuNxerXgjEdpig9x5Qwnk/s6000/DSC01341.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmowBpw1TgI6kg6hUj9TtoABuWRbxTPLHcei8jNRewR2WDJ2f5U9cSeVI3pKrrCERiZyEVPOlhIDq2gSh7mUBJN6MrppBjGjBumraDvgq6_hGGu_MDkRafNPnuNxerXgjEdpig9x5Qwnk/w640-h426/DSC01341.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wild Goat(s) on the side of the road just munching around</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOopUS3peuaM8Evih4bZwZo0YDsWHRwCpddYYX_Ex8mSFsksXdK_6BMrc-Kti65HYM43_92gRTyRMgMu884EmkkaWjkhPiMtbatw5N1TfAM8vHizYSpGyb4445D6Eop_kc1_9fwRCjqU/s6000/DSC01344.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOopUS3peuaM8Evih4bZwZo0YDsWHRwCpddYYX_Ex8mSFsksXdK_6BMrc-Kti65HYM43_92gRTyRMgMu884EmkkaWjkhPiMtbatw5N1TfAM8vHizYSpGyb4445D6Eop_kc1_9fwRCjqU/w640-h426/DSC01344.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_psaFvugY-RfJCQIRR1gNbCY6VFdUOM-6L04FVSO454tSe1TmC5YkQ_25tXLifMZfj7zUgv1BhNlCzf08OHyOaKkzK4il6i6i6b9zyiTc_Cp3n_d2zPyLcSce74ODM1knvyf8lkYbCwE/s6000/DSC01345.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_psaFvugY-RfJCQIRR1gNbCY6VFdUOM-6L04FVSO454tSe1TmC5YkQ_25tXLifMZfj7zUgv1BhNlCzf08OHyOaKkzK4il6i6i6b9zyiTc_Cp3n_d2zPyLcSce74ODM1knvyf8lkYbCwE/w640-h426/DSC01345.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioy1Kckm9yMshqVGmIAqtw7C-7ZJsbDHe9CZaet_kRl5PkbPrdn5O3psAEhktqcNw7S8Wgx7P5zADviFDubSVARX3ecfDN3gzdnWoQPjoko_rORVjiNBRLIJyRN3a999mzel-SI76SF9k/s6000/DSC01368.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioy1Kckm9yMshqVGmIAqtw7C-7ZJsbDHe9CZaet_kRl5PkbPrdn5O3psAEhktqcNw7S8Wgx7P5zADviFDubSVARX3ecfDN3gzdnWoQPjoko_rORVjiNBRLIJyRN3a999mzel-SI76SF9k/w640-h426/DSC01368.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5GEiPe1r8VDlrS2JmWXkrgK5942PG5A_OtDPTCWXFUenIy8ahdE1fBOo7mKlv2R95IZsAmz7ndiYc6fMpxH9EovaIPkKUEA6OZXBiX8LjIP_ke7iNHCk-lBWKKzx-ZzOkexJpklBhrw4/s6000/DSC01372.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5GEiPe1r8VDlrS2JmWXkrgK5942PG5A_OtDPTCWXFUenIy8ahdE1fBOo7mKlv2R95IZsAmz7ndiYc6fMpxH9EovaIPkKUEA6OZXBiX8LjIP_ke7iNHCk-lBWKKzx-ZzOkexJpklBhrw4/w640-h426/DSC01372.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A Family of deer munching around on the side of the road. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMZvn9bOhrpwGXJPTntyWI5fW629yOJTJ-js2FjE3vWcGzLzeCnvExAG5YH0MrBiFl3Zx0aFax6E7CIXh2riW4vht9QZ7ZGhTXVWCIcv8QKfJ3g_gfWpFc2nD2EQHXL9JSE-gzCa5KAM/s6000/DSC01373.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMZvn9bOhrpwGXJPTntyWI5fW629yOJTJ-js2FjE3vWcGzLzeCnvExAG5YH0MrBiFl3Zx0aFax6E7CIXh2riW4vht9QZ7ZGhTXVWCIcv8QKfJ3g_gfWpFc2nD2EQHXL9JSE-gzCa5KAM/w640-h426/DSC01373.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmviJF1mvIW5fqa1DOrW48fwnq4roKyk3toZLi25j6m7rksVFt3tIpdvq5VKKJL2Jz38rivLDmn6vU8z-6JtZhFOf6MOJl_XZQBYewS1Fn8TBSpUMhQVfkLp9WB7-AzlqVElmJiU796t8/s6000/DSC01374.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmviJF1mvIW5fqa1DOrW48fwnq4roKyk3toZLi25j6m7rksVFt3tIpdvq5VKKJL2Jz38rivLDmn6vU8z-6JtZhFOf6MOJl_XZQBYewS1Fn8TBSpUMhQVfkLp9WB7-AzlqVElmJiU796t8/w426-h640/DSC01374.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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It was immersive, intense, and I cried a lot into my mask. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3Y-o2LNSVQuz9xTO9G1wMDx7aweeCW9r6xbIG0WZpJ2L6dIln-blmGxH29za5UqncBbjAu0Wrr3vZPE7Ix9J3R9bRPwKGkwtdXpWQqDj42oLRUsIwJs75-1WLvZ7c7l7C8dVQCL8B6g/s6000/DSC01185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3Y-o2LNSVQuz9xTO9G1wMDx7aweeCW9r6xbIG0WZpJ2L6dIln-blmGxH29za5UqncBbjAu0Wrr3vZPE7Ix9J3R9bRPwKGkwtdXpWQqDj42oLRUsIwJs75-1WLvZ7c7l7C8dVQCL8B6g/s320/DSC01185.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbiFqCmIwdiniPQMpaYSOWbQzJHCvU0kasIvCwtTpTon32PLv50ap6KC6bz1Qadxo3zhlLzZ5vAFpHyFbv_7g7Ieb75WI_2OvVbb3N1Xy52MEJb8uAXvh628C5-bOw3LE2AbePWug-PQ/s6000/DSC01196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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I don't know how I'm going to write it all down. I think I'll bullet point it, summarize and expand. Maybe I'll write about today over the next couple of days.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>OKC: <a href="https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/">National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum</a></li><li>OKC: <a href="https://memorialmuseum.com/" target="_blank">Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum</a></li><li>Dinner in Tulsa</li><li>Tulsa: <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-center-of-the-universe-tulsa-oklahoma" target="_blank">The Center of the Universe</a></li><li>Arkansas: Fireflies </li><li>Bentonville Arkansas</li><li>Geena Davis</li></ul><div>I think I should start backwards. [Side note: I'm writing this after having written the blog...I sort of started going backwards, but ended up jumping all around. See the above for the timeline order of events]</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bentonvillefilm.org/" target="_blank">Geena Davis</a> is currently in Bentonville Arkansas and so am I. She is here for a film festival and I'm sad to say that I have not seen her (yet). Honestly, I might have driven by where she was about 30 minutes after she was there, but, at that point, I had no idea she was even in town. </div><div><br /></div><div>The woman who runs the B&B I'm staying at told me, "There is a Geena Davis film festival in town right now." And I assumed she meant her movies. But THE Geena Davis is HERE! I could probably yell her name and she might respond. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a sentence I never thought I'd say. If you ever get a chance to go to Bentonville Arkansas, do it. I've been here an hour, all I've done is check into a B&B and I want to cancel the rest of my trip to stay here. Except I don't have any actual rest-of-the-trip plans, so I could. Only this film festival is in town and I think all the hotels are sold out. </div><div><br /></div><div>How I ended up in Bentonville:</div><div><br /></div><div>1) My boss has asked me twice if I've been here. The last time, he explained that it's got everything you'd expect from Arkansas, but also really interesting cafes and a hotel that's also a museum. (This is a chain, if you're interested. <a href="http://www.21cmuseumhotels.com" target="_blank">21C Hotels</a>). </div><div><br /></div><div>2) When I was checking out of my wonderful little boutique hotel in Oklahoma City (one day early...I will explain that later), I told the women at the desk, "I don't know where I'm going to go, but I know I have a lot of driving to do. It's between Kansas and Arkansas." They both lit up and nearly jumped up an down saying, "Arkansas, you have to go to Arkansas!" </div><div><br /></div><div>They recommended <a href="https://www.eurekasprings.org/" target="_blank">Eureka Springs</a>, which I didn't even look up and threw my other plans out the window, deciding in that moment to go to Arkansas. Another sentence I never thought I'd say. </div><div><br /></div><div>I had originally planned to NOT go to Tulsa, but to go to Wakita (famous only for it's mention in Twister), specifically to go to the <a href="https://twistercountry.com/" target="_blank">Twister Movie Museum</a>. I was fully aware this museum was probably not legit or licensed to sell anything Twister related, but I didn't think anything on the rest of the trip would be particularly interesting, honestly, and had planned on buying a Wakita key chain (say that three times fast) and heading on up to Kansas. There were a couple of options for Kansas. Boot Hill, which I think does in-the-street old-timey shoot out recreations, but I'd already seen that in Deadwood. OR I was thinking of going to Wichita for no good reason. When the hotel ladies said, "Arkansas!" it took me all of 10 seconds to agree and plug Bentonville into my phone. FYI, Bentonville is close to Eureka Springs. Well, it's an hour away, but that's relatively close.</div><div><br /></div><div>First thing this morning, I fully packed. The idea was, go to the Cowboy & Western Heritage museum in the hopes of seeing SOMETHING on the dust bowl. If that didn't take too long, check out of my hotel a day early, drive up to Wakita by 5pm (a 2hr drive away, mind you) to see the museum and then head to somewhere, ks to find a hotel. If the museum took a long time, I could go back to my hotel for a nap or if it was way too late, I could stay the night and take off first thing Friday. I loaded up the car and hit that museum.</div><div><br /></div><div>"This is a four hour museum," he said. He who? He, the dude that explains the museum map. I half listened, but gave big eye smiles (because you can't see my actual smile under the mask). "Do you have anything on the Dust Bowl." "That doesn't really fit our theme." Boo! "Gotcha. Thanks so much. I think I'll start over here!" And then I took a big poop in the bathroom. (no one but me is going to think that's funny, but it's accurate...and funny. Get on board.). </div><div><br /></div><div>The museum absolutely could have taken 4 hours. I saw some patrons who looked like they'd been there about 60 years. But, and this is a confession from a two-time English major, I don't like reading museum blurbs. I'd rather read a 400 page book on farming than read 100 snippets next to art. I just can't do it. So, I took a bunch of pictures in the hopes that I'll care later and look into the who/what/why of it all. </div><div><br /></div><div>They had paintings, artifacts, sculptures and replicas of Native American dwellings. The place was huge and I was out of there in like 30 minutes.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonW0nYctyhjH0wI8fw1e0hZib972PTANm35vcgjzPdBAdUubjQzTLNHrsIdxkE4fdka2IEfO0eG_q5x3tVKcO38YV-nWq_P56ArKTIQd2THGor7KL554jUHiA28xGWk6zMFNFM0ovFws/s6000/DSC01169.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonW0nYctyhjH0wI8fw1e0hZib972PTANm35vcgjzPdBAdUubjQzTLNHrsIdxkE4fdka2IEfO0eG_q5x3tVKcO38YV-nWq_P56ArKTIQd2THGor7KL554jUHiA28xGWk6zMFNFM0ovFws/w426-h640/DSC01169.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeczDbTebTCBNOyY8tWfRyb281fzwB5f4moaN66nBIsshel0dIx2P6pw12t4HWRUvPXppKWa9BQBbroY1sw8ZWNpZQE-TqZCM5isnVpN6CTM4CV0eHIH9DStbIu7YEhRsOStQk_9fLFo/s2048/DJOA4345.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrb7gWbRXDbnCbveuxFJhk-gYAaDGLPd61NDfxc0OErGYxoEVvndJPAeOr1OA5qlEpfgYuavXazvWX9bEG9Y8YweGN17ELa7McnmFNGRxZeraZh6SDAkT0xVWMWZgxb97Cq9EprbJnJE/s6000/DSC01126.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrb7gWbRXDbnCbveuxFJhk-gYAaDGLPd61NDfxc0OErGYxoEVvndJPAeOr1OA5qlEpfgYuavXazvWX9bEG9Y8YweGN17ELa7McnmFNGRxZeraZh6SDAkT0xVWMWZgxb97Cq9EprbJnJE/w640-h426/DSC01126.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv869x4k_s5U2LuJ78fRDdWeaB5bKLMYlBthTQbu_jozkwLWvNyjdDa4NEnlbevR9qQvCeVvWW9RYMUmHJyC1xO1OWse-ojSBVhAsEpsuWna_HyJuePay-V3vQh26gOyxi6rRuTOhaBiQ/s6000/DSC01128.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv869x4k_s5U2LuJ78fRDdWeaB5bKLMYlBthTQbu_jozkwLWvNyjdDa4NEnlbevR9qQvCeVvWW9RYMUmHJyC1xO1OWse-ojSBVhAsEpsuWna_HyJuePay-V3vQh26gOyxi6rRuTOhaBiQ/w640-h426/DSC01128.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaO9f0u6ZelyvxfS_pPhl_xkRErX6suqUjDSxPqNACy9jRYthQDLey8yfotin_AL6Sf5-PZj0Unx_VG1TnP_rWr0dMUhf7tWQqW3YZ3R9iWGJgxgtjjS6Bw5KWA0OukAS2CIe1poMNgs/s6000/DSC01137.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaO9f0u6ZelyvxfS_pPhl_xkRErX6suqUjDSxPqNACy9jRYthQDLey8yfotin_AL6Sf5-PZj0Unx_VG1TnP_rWr0dMUhf7tWQqW3YZ3R9iWGJgxgtjjS6Bw5KWA0OukAS2CIe1poMNgs/w640-h426/DSC01137.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwiYob52pSlmsgAA6qBVgjlXObp5UouM3aaBP4mEv_HDYeijFvIvDWDnTuKgES0b0WkdmFz8H5jq7Kk_kIg0Lt6MGR6mnEWb4X1NeK9jXrdast4Z80bOet7rUKAjpDpihsYAZxBZIt8M/s6000/DSC01142.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwiYob52pSlmsgAA6qBVgjlXObp5UouM3aaBP4mEv_HDYeijFvIvDWDnTuKgES0b0WkdmFz8H5jq7Kk_kIg0Lt6MGR6mnEWb4X1NeK9jXrdast4Z80bOet7rUKAjpDpihsYAZxBZIt8M/w426-h640/DSC01142.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEdgjuEKcU0xIWoAm81GmlHVE_2Dfzv9vI2L5sgCdz-SrI5yUTQEqYUF8uTs7n0TprHxAKbl6zzbWIh4m4TtEDJ3bjA6YoJvWTDX0YJHf3kiOp4JSzj4ahl38sKeRSkM5OSg223dcUIQ/s6000/DSC01150.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEdgjuEKcU0xIWoAm81GmlHVE_2Dfzv9vI2L5sgCdz-SrI5yUTQEqYUF8uTs7n0TprHxAKbl6zzbWIh4m4TtEDJ3bjA6YoJvWTDX0YJHf3kiOp4JSzj4ahl38sKeRSkM5OSg223dcUIQ/w426-h640/DSC01150.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zxcyLs9Srt1LCRZBUFaNpMHNB9_WevzVYFMwEbC9GLWzrFtARIzAlR9SxFtkhv6AVEz6mOO6z2mGUulUiMHncibETFHLWhvUDwyCyYwZIW1h4wmw_Sl4J2UE1_kcOka-_7QedfhxkqQ/s6000/DSC01158.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zxcyLs9Srt1LCRZBUFaNpMHNB9_WevzVYFMwEbC9GLWzrFtARIzAlR9SxFtkhv6AVEz6mOO6z2mGUulUiMHncibETFHLWhvUDwyCyYwZIW1h4wmw_Sl4J2UE1_kcOka-_7QedfhxkqQ/w640-h426/DSC01158.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Around about the exhibit about blue uniforms, I overheard and elderly woman ask an elderly curator if there was anything else to do in OKC. "Is there a zoo?" "Yes, there is a Zoo. And there is the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial. That is probably our most popular tourist destination." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had COMPLETELY forgotten about that! While I was still in California, dreaming of all the things I might do on the trip, that was very high on my list. Thank GOD that conversation happened or I'd be half way to wherever before I remembered. It's the same as the JFK / Dallas thing. I totally forgot about it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have a tremendous compulsion here to explain WHY I seek out potentially misery making tourist attractions, but I'm going to skip that because....well, these attractions exist for a reason and I'm not weird for wanting to see them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unfortunately, I'm also going to skip talking about the memorial and the museum for now because it was insanely emotional and I might leave that for it's own blog post. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Instead I'm going to tell you about forgetting something else. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was driving through Stillwater, Oklahoma on my way to Tulsa. I figured Tulsa would be a great half way point to Arkansas. If I liked it, I could get a hotel room and stay the night (clearly that didn't happen). If I didn't, I could get dinner and GTFO (that did happen). Oh, but I did take a quick stop at The Center of The Universe. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSizOvm6OXHWR45B5xBJJVFpQHK-SMNdmPSSbOoNyYzGNi0DlRifby0dJdI6ERXx4T55QcsP4AW4LcE21qur7EC4nqQW5slnm6ipFHgT1TyNYkqsULAr1eFfKgtVnKkfPHdNdcQLmJKXE/s2048/IMG_5040.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSizOvm6OXHWR45B5xBJJVFpQHK-SMNdmPSSbOoNyYzGNi0DlRifby0dJdI6ERXx4T55QcsP4AW4LcE21qur7EC4nqQW5slnm6ipFHgT1TyNYkqsULAr1eFfKgtVnKkfPHdNdcQLmJKXE/w480-h640/IMG_5040.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">It doesn't look like much</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqpEYWC1G3NSsySAIq8pr5vYU36p8reiFImbS_N1wbNGprtm8NpzlQxjOV7klK7Kl-Pja4Z3m4DdwVuCUgkuzVXR57TN6mk4iY52GwvdJ-6ZjDZNV4oN7ng-mZy5rlpWj44SuQ4O8lUA/s2048/IMG_5041.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqpEYWC1G3NSsySAIq8pr5vYU36p8reiFImbS_N1wbNGprtm8NpzlQxjOV7klK7Kl-Pja4Z3m4DdwVuCUgkuzVXR57TN6mk4iY52GwvdJ-6ZjDZNV4oN7ng-mZy5rlpWj44SuQ4O8lUA/w480-h640/IMG_5041.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This lovely woman told me all about it</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDKPzkJUVphUm5svt2y0fuhQRWC9wEvtmBGh8GoerivZlOUp9Xbsh3seU6KOdFaeoJHMFYTlQIky-5neoHSfuIyNp6fuBA08-MWE75waBwtjhDmheTkNd63L9Q_dA8UExJFvROxpjvo4/s1334/IMG_5044.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDKPzkJUVphUm5svt2y0fuhQRWC9wEvtmBGh8GoerivZlOUp9Xbsh3seU6KOdFaeoJHMFYTlQIky-5neoHSfuIyNp6fuBA08-MWE75waBwtjhDmheTkNd63L9Q_dA8UExJFvROxpjvo4/w360-h640/IMG_5044.PNG" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Even my phone knew it was the Center of the Universe</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Long story short, I'm going to copy/paste from Atlas Obscura. "The 'Center of the Universe' is a little-known mysterious acoustic phenomenon. If you stand in the middle of the circle and make a noise, the sound is echoed back several times louder than it was made. It's your own private amplified echo chamber." Let me also say that no one else can hear the echo. Its only heard by the person standing on the circle. It was COOL! </div><br /><div>The woman (and her husband) who were also there for this phenomenon, were from Louisiana and couldn't understand why I would only stay in Tulsa for dinner. Anyway, they said they have a thing for Presidential Libraries. Have you ever heard that before? I love that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, at some point today I was in Stillwater, Oklahoma and something in my brain was like, "This means something." (Close Encounters reference). I could not for the life of me remember what special site was to be seen in Stillwater and then I passed this!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BT5vi2ynS1CtgLXUSj3bEySVO8uhsnr0GxnshLfAgSUSCztXc6TX6XyzPoJbdi9LF-mkQgWuCw-8B4MwMZZdgdSgXSaaWHZde3GevxNtIh_l9WN6wl8sZBZvGVlRLa3c4acRAyTN5EM/s6000/DSC01223.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BT5vi2ynS1CtgLXUSj3bEySVO8uhsnr0GxnshLfAgSUSCztXc6TX6XyzPoJbdi9LF-mkQgWuCw-8B4MwMZZdgdSgXSaaWHZde3GevxNtIh_l9WN6wl8sZBZvGVlRLa3c4acRAyTN5EM/w640-h426/DSC01223.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Who is that peaking out from behind a fence? Is that Optimus Prime?! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirY8URJlLrLI5fGaqL3xfIJYRGsrtMwgwaJKc2MBhl7kJvjhdtElvJWFAIsbwaI_YLlML-AvidP6cuANXjkgZYkrPzBt__Fm42f4EVCW_bmWLRo1L7oDZPgIOZ-0TcRu_rfHFAOlgy3vE/s6000/DSC01222.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirY8URJlLrLI5fGaqL3xfIJYRGsrtMwgwaJKc2MBhl7kJvjhdtElvJWFAIsbwaI_YLlML-AvidP6cuANXjkgZYkrPzBt__Fm42f4EVCW_bmWLRo1L7oDZPgIOZ-0TcRu_rfHFAOlgy3vE/w426-h640/DSC01222.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Yup! <div><br /></div><div>Here are other places I completely accidentally ended up that I had, while planning, thought, "It'd sure be cool to stop there."</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZHRztBAFQNTgrKL-Al0RpVvCz9oVgHNKOfGk3yWsI30L0JEEbS0HfODs2fpDhT6wVouvLvICalEn1BubcIo5WC8R3HXI8LwK7xGMv2txz_xVj1p9pJpB_Z_QKfaVXJoAcXpy6eEp210/s2048/IMG_5025.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZHRztBAFQNTgrKL-Al0RpVvCz9oVgHNKOfGk3yWsI30L0JEEbS0HfODs2fpDhT6wVouvLvICalEn1BubcIo5WC8R3HXI8LwK7xGMv2txz_xVj1p9pJpB_Z_QKfaVXJoAcXpy6eEp210/w640-h480/IMG_5025.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">For my Parks and Rec fans</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F1gLPg2frtc5JExdmXJmEscwLViWnKXTcJVDHzCifGx3oXs7ukQd9lqH0SyixV3P7-TbcfpRBrmmTJRo4F4OzB0rGxC0nxB3N2Ap89pbQK2WvgXOoy1zmkwb6LSiJtwjH5mo6gnLeD8/s2048/IMG_5029.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F1gLPg2frtc5JExdmXJmEscwLViWnKXTcJVDHzCifGx3oXs7ukQd9lqH0SyixV3P7-TbcfpRBrmmTJRo4F4OzB0rGxC0nxB3N2Ap89pbQK2WvgXOoy1zmkwb6LSiJtwjH5mo6gnLeD8/w480-h640/IMG_5029.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Because I'm from Cleveland (yes, I brought this shirt in case I ended up there and YES I changed in the car to take this picture)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then the weather turned rainy and lightning happened, as if to remind me of Cleveland, and that's when I ended up in Tulsa.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first thing I saw was "skid row". I haven't said that phrase or even heard it since the 80's, but it fits. I saw a dozen homeless folks trying to huddle together and hide from the rain by standing under trees. I saw a group huddled on the front stoop of the bail bonds place. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGhouGYEcq7N64DPbHEETuLCrL8d8hhcrHfqLM8lWNfgatA5grq-QGf-KWXfbUi6ociVJX4bCVQYawqRiVWzsTpXaXvVwScL2GayVibhnSvhW58Jc8tplFlFvYi8Fa7z11PmTaJ1YuEM/s6000/DSC01238.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGhouGYEcq7N64DPbHEETuLCrL8d8hhcrHfqLM8lWNfgatA5grq-QGf-KWXfbUi6ociVJX4bCVQYawqRiVWzsTpXaXvVwScL2GayVibhnSvhW58Jc8tplFlFvYi8Fa7z11PmTaJ1YuEM/w640-h426/DSC01238.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I will say this for the city of Tulsa. I knew when I arrived. It was no Oklahoma City sprawl. It was a proper city with a sports venue and restaurants and hotels all in a central area. It made sense. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had a lovely dinner indoors, which freaked me out, but everyone working there was masked and there were no customers as it was like 5pm. It was delicious. Then I did the Center of the Universe thing, since it was a 3 minute walk. Then I couldn't make one more decision and sat paralyzed in my car.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I called Krista and said, "I just can't" and she said, "Yeah you can." Basically. It was perfect and motivating and I got my butt to Arkansas, didn't I?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok, I have one more thing to say before posting this blog and giving my brain a break before tackling the OKC Bombing Story, which will probably be short, but I just can't FEEL that again right now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I thought I could beat the sunset to Bentonville, but was wrong by about 45 minutes. However, just like last night at Pops, when the sun went down, the country came to life. The humidity skyrocketed, but the temperature cooled enough that I could roll down my car window, especially since I was now on backroads going about 30mph. I turned off the radio and listened to the sound of the forests and farms. The insects were chirping and whirring and sometimes sounded like monkeys. I saw three country dogs wandering their neighborhoods with no collars on. As I drove by, they stopped sniffing around to look at me as if they were waving hello. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're my wife, you should probably skip this paragraph. I saw a considerable amount of roadkill. At one point, I was seeing something in the middle of the two lane road every 500 feet or so. Some of it was unrecognizable and I was thankful for it, because some things were very recognizable and I'll probably keep those images in my head longer than I'd like. I did see a pretty intact racoon and thought, somebody will make a nice hat out of that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I passed homes that were stately and showed how well their farm was doing. I saw small raised trailers on enormous lots of land. I saw overgrown lots with rusted out RVs and a lot of belongings outside. I thought, "That looks like generations of stuff and what do you do when it's left to you? There's no one else out here who is going to take it." I saw homes with 15 cars in different levels of decay with different levels of grass growing up, around and through them. I saw wood buildings that caved in on themselves from decades of humidity.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When the sun was fully gone, I saw fireflies. They danced in the reeds and fields next to the road, entertaining me for miles. The backroads and lightning bugs, humidity and wind blowing in my hair lulled me into a slow speed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then I arrived in Bentonville, who surprised me immediately! It was full of life with a bustling Main Street. People were walking home or to their hotels (after the film they just saw ended, I found out). Folks were eating outdoor at high quality restaurants. The homes looked like multi million dollar estates, but I had been driving a long time and my senses were overwhelmed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I looked on the map for hotels near me. The 21C was sold out. The only other option in town was the B&B that I'm currently in. I drove up, called the number on a note at the door and asked if they had a room available for the evening. She said she lived next door and would be right over. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's now after midnight and I'm absolutely exhausted. Blissed out from how amazing my life is, but pooped and this super fancy pants bed is calling my name. Good night folks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhvsxxof-Ech_g1XvpLbPZpjh39EGVwlOODKdhmIO-WXdA_5rMEelml4L8lAYPhH7nFhTRRx2EAoSG3GowE37v_vMSEo04jIOobC-efSmFFyos7UQclK_wU538M0Gf2d7PBHpBdmAx_4/s2048/IMG_5080.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhvsxxof-Ech_g1XvpLbPZpjh39EGVwlOODKdhmIO-WXdA_5rMEelml4L8lAYPhH7nFhTRRx2EAoSG3GowE37v_vMSEo04jIOobC-efSmFFyos7UQclK_wU538M0Gf2d7PBHpBdmAx_4/w640-h480/IMG_5080.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><p></p></div>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-44342762258258637502021-08-04T22:42:00.012-07:002021-08-04T23:20:54.945-07:00A Little Magical<p>After a pretty intense workday that included more meetings than I usually have in a month, I picked up a salad for dinner and ate it in my hotel room. Afraid that I would lose all motivation to leave and explore more of my surroundings, I snarfed down the salad and quickly left. </p><p>I might have mentioned this is in a previous blog post, but I love the movie Twister (1996 with Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton and Philip Seymour Hoffman among many others). It's one of those movies that was probably made to keep the actor's health insurance current. The continuity errors are obvious, there are silly moments of overacting and ridiculous stunts like driving through a house, or flying cows caught in a tornado. But it is my go-to movie for comfort and joy. The main characters' personalities vary wildly and often conflict with each other, but they are a chosen family who have one joint passion (that happens to be measuring tornados in the hope of giving people an early warning system). I watch Twister on every flight I take. I watch it when I'm feeling lonely or bored. I watch it when I miss the 90's. I watch it when I miss the actors in it who have passed away far before their time. It reminds me what it feels like to be young or reckless for a purpose or what it feels like to follow the wind. </p><p>There is a scene about 3/4 through the movie, where the crew is recovering from chasing some gnarly tornados. They are staying at a motel that's at/near a drive-in movie theatre. The movie on the screen, The Shinning. All of the sudden, the wind changes and lightning flashes and Bill (played by Bill Paxton) sees a huge tornado right behind the screen. All hell breaks loose and everyone goes running for shelter. </p><p>Today, I went to that drive-in theatre. The location, <a href="https://www.beacondrive-in.com/" target="_blank">Beacon Drive-In, Guthrie, Oklahoma.</a> Beacon has been a working drive-in since 1950 and this weekend will play Black Widow. Unfortunately, I don't plan on being in OKC this weekend, so I went today and though it was closed, I slipped in between two poles and had the whole place to myself to take about 1,000 pictures and imagine, dream, feel.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWGdxlHSMJho8niHgYtVeR1NI7zNZvh5d5BSoWJzaRAw0WkbWiaVIN1qDd5lE22tZQxVCcnF1ySJIiy69iajfsKIaDIxQydhF1AGybTzXNm0ZUEr9rmXDuRF9KXf2OLIGNdVyYLhPQbE/s6000/DSC01041.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWGdxlHSMJho8niHgYtVeR1NI7zNZvh5d5BSoWJzaRAw0WkbWiaVIN1qDd5lE22tZQxVCcnF1ySJIiy69iajfsKIaDIxQydhF1AGybTzXNm0ZUEr9rmXDuRF9KXf2OLIGNdVyYLhPQbE/w640-h426/DSC01041.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTflT4TkS1Jf7lSFw6nu9gQUQ2Th7OAN3uyiVw5KhyWLPMgrdU8592RBFGJkua6n2BeFwqYxpC35DDu_3ksvpQAT6QykxHdnYV2EZLxgPSaH1Uoesa1oM-tHGVdEI9m4-4vEfCQ6rSHE/s2048/IMG_4937.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTflT4TkS1Jf7lSFw6nu9gQUQ2Th7OAN3uyiVw5KhyWLPMgrdU8592RBFGJkua6n2BeFwqYxpC35DDu_3ksvpQAT6QykxHdnYV2EZLxgPSaH1Uoesa1oM-tHGVdEI9m4-4vEfCQ6rSHE/w640-h480/IMG_4937.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is where I snuck in. "Is that illegal?" You might ask. Honestly, I don't know. I didn't see a single sing that said "closed" or "stay out" or anything of that nature. But also, I have guts. I have guts because my dad had guts. When I was a kid, he would see army barracks or a theater or arts venue and start trying doors. I learned if you are confident enough (and have a good story, if you're caught), that risks can be worth taking. And I thanked my Dad, because I had the best time exploring.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYeILcGz1b0KWW9SQBBIQpk6aT0DHoBiYizkFUjRh9aCB6HPY6QsDvgJsEk9wMORQfqzkScJ7WjwoU1Dmy_Z9b6aCHSm8v1_ofZIPgYcNuU6S97G1C-sU7zfpaV6-KhYfB9U-j2l1tMNs/s973/IMG_E4950.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="973" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYeILcGz1b0KWW9SQBBIQpk6aT0DHoBiYizkFUjRh9aCB6HPY6QsDvgJsEk9wMORQfqzkScJ7WjwoU1Dmy_Z9b6aCHSm8v1_ofZIPgYcNuU6S97G1C-sU7zfpaV6-KhYfB9U-j2l1tMNs/w494-h640/IMG_E4950.JPG" width="494" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's something about hearing "Good job" from your dad that feels magical no matter how old you are (or how illegal the thing you're doing <i>might</i> be).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are some more shots from the drive-in. I took my sweet time and knew what I would say if someone happened to be living in the RV parked in the back. Twister is just the best and I could not help myself from checking it out and thinking about all the actors that day and the feeling that wells up inside me every time I watch the drive-in scene. I was elated to be there. And saw no one else.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXmlIBg5BuVZd9tTdwHyEooKKDiNz7dtLj2-axfCRTMe-zrhMWTBP5UoOCF6fdF6OCblAU5H6TQmUcTGDAlHE6uSeBTLYufoGsBsEWIs5klJ-S6ns4xJC_JJPzIt2_8817zJLLvLOCiY/s6000/DSC01026.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXmlIBg5BuVZd9tTdwHyEooKKDiNz7dtLj2-axfCRTMe-zrhMWTBP5UoOCF6fdF6OCblAU5H6TQmUcTGDAlHE6uSeBTLYufoGsBsEWIs5klJ-S6ns4xJC_JJPzIt2_8817zJLLvLOCiY/w640-h426/DSC01026.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJRs-g2cgLn4e5ZhpKBqSdCLThbUro-5wjgSyZ0_bAb6bjuAuJMUYEmP6xlp2z4zetIKwgmSeS-HdfQlIrvvo10L3M754udT0ia-HW_bWHnpUiOfs_eYt692mtZRvgIUAD8DqxU71_s0/s6000/DSC01032.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJRs-g2cgLn4e5ZhpKBqSdCLThbUro-5wjgSyZ0_bAb6bjuAuJMUYEmP6xlp2z4zetIKwgmSeS-HdfQlIrvvo10L3M754udT0ia-HW_bWHnpUiOfs_eYt692mtZRvgIUAD8DqxU71_s0/w426-h640/DSC01032.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmEICZDxsFA8Fo90LjUL1rQsrWaxvxCdyA9tBUH-_aiDsYtvR7T5Fe16cLtNNTH5Fub7HnNHF4H6peCcfS-g7VVXZ3APW1DMLfBprm9qIoZ_OjBuQG2-g-h7U6vjFCeCF65dUH9GR6Tg/s2048/IMG_4928.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmEICZDxsFA8Fo90LjUL1rQsrWaxvxCdyA9tBUH-_aiDsYtvR7T5Fe16cLtNNTH5Fub7HnNHF4H6peCcfS-g7VVXZ3APW1DMLfBprm9qIoZ_OjBuQG2-g-h7U6vjFCeCF65dUH9GR6Tg/w640-h480/IMG_4928.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzaCMGHjskv7Evtekv4Ynu274XIHURZeiV3aq55mp6Q5cNGTxTzSe8HDeuvbSItQPuKX3xTOMOj-avyhBRS1dhH3WkZO-a1MOjodXmYZZo_ESHG_5MpEuFj968XTZJaMMZMLWNkNhuGoE/s2048/IMG_4927.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzaCMGHjskv7Evtekv4Ynu274XIHURZeiV3aq55mp6Q5cNGTxTzSe8HDeuvbSItQPuKX3xTOMOj-avyhBRS1dhH3WkZO-a1MOjodXmYZZo_ESHG_5MpEuFj968XTZJaMMZMLWNkNhuGoE/w640-h480/IMG_4927.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Once I had my fill, touched the screen and was ready to move on, I decided to go back to Pops 66 to catch the 66 foot tall neon soda structure in all it's glory....and have a little fun too.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I got there, the sun had just set.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqO3HocbbqBZ9WThA7qKqGO8gq0C9S9pyfbhP1RqSBb_CxFUn20TC0KjzlY_oZlgHONb_yiUcw3nHH4fmwtOq89L8Mrsanq_0siDmR36phbTBNLty3RIkzeCaglUiG08nFxRJS8PcBQfc/s2048/IMG_4947.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqO3HocbbqBZ9WThA7qKqGO8gq0C9S9pyfbhP1RqSBb_CxFUn20TC0KjzlY_oZlgHONb_yiUcw3nHH4fmwtOq89L8Mrsanq_0siDmR36phbTBNLty3RIkzeCaglUiG08nFxRJS8PcBQfc/s320/IMG_4947.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUX6jgA5HZ8fjgsRqXl_OgiK1hRAO3U_U6ni2g8bAfmUWPHdmutSsXMWIng7hifWzNNGJqCoNhS7sJzpym0Z1sOyCHosZI5YYJbFhwNO1HAOXQN9VKFR3n_vR3VcKnRQ5vE41gQ5rr9B4/s2048/IMG_4949.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUX6jgA5HZ8fjgsRqXl_OgiK1hRAO3U_U6ni2g8bAfmUWPHdmutSsXMWIng7hifWzNNGJqCoNhS7sJzpym0Z1sOyCHosZI5YYJbFhwNO1HAOXQN9VKFR3n_vR3VcKnRQ5vE41gQ5rr9B4/s320/IMG_4949.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There were families with kids running around, being silly, taking silly photos (like the above). Also, as an aside, I think that the picture of me 'drinking' from the 66' soda structure makes up for the fact that I didn't pose with my finger up George Washington's nose when I went to Mount Rushmore.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I decided to settle in and wait for the sun to go down, the night to take over and the neon to become more vibrant. I went for a little walk (yes, mom, in my flip flops again) on a narrow road next to a field (where, I'm sure snakes and bugs and all manner of things luxuriated in the evening heat). But going for that little walk, got me this picture which I might hang in my office at home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Wa70XzPwplHXVpAgjQx5Tl52YtRyxEsJgC4RtubI0LqmGr41cnafO4cjMFjXAabvi-xGJ_GBWt8YqK1FFo6GeNs3B-xrdcY5T5z9A9TNlFICHmEDhFyjxSuC8-jmLDNFalwvBAlUaOc/s5747/DSC01054+cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2199" data-original-width="5747" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Wa70XzPwplHXVpAgjQx5Tl52YtRyxEsJgC4RtubI0LqmGr41cnafO4cjMFjXAabvi-xGJ_GBWt8YqK1FFo6GeNs3B-xrdcY5T5z9A9TNlFICHmEDhFyjxSuC8-jmLDNFalwvBAlUaOc/w640-h244/DSC01054+cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As the sun went down, my skin started to crawl with the change in humidity. The noise of kids running around disappeared and the hum of insects in nearby cornfields increased. Groups of teenagers arrived by noisy carloads. They stood far back from the attraction to take photos of each other in different artistic and depth-bending positions. Holding the soda. Leaning on it. (I didn't see anyone drink from it, so I'm better than they are...I mean, obviously I'm the first one EVER to think of doing that)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSbIex4K1bZO9rOXzB2qBrNqUjkBbNHMxQgVyMlAB9hOmwSHPOMCPZ47UawWe3RuLs2_IdAbLFyl_TvYrFI_3fJ2GbShn-xnkCquNmHGo8EYAkWLxKh3GuEd3S1d_4UzrGizyAXXhx4c/s6000/DSC01046.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSbIex4K1bZO9rOXzB2qBrNqUjkBbNHMxQgVyMlAB9hOmwSHPOMCPZ47UawWe3RuLs2_IdAbLFyl_TvYrFI_3fJ2GbShn-xnkCquNmHGo8EYAkWLxKh3GuEd3S1d_4UzrGizyAXXhx4c/w426-h640/DSC01046.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sky grew darker; the statue lit up brighter and brighter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw6G27H3TU3nuvdGh8RnBqqc2cdlTA0F5fLJkDz-kdrPIvGSItBLANkXvuFSyM-v7SM4rsjpTwQFa4adz7tZg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUP_lHogVVusI9eWgRYgRJkXMDxMN-S-glSTdnWJeIvITWwUuh-89gMqATILPYIQcYTRuqLjYOqUeh6bT20SwH4i6t5Cvvx6SZhNMjjJFdFBVo6oFpwFOLmmg5zWoW932xdmDLLM7BY8/s6000/DSC01076.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUP_lHogVVusI9eWgRYgRJkXMDxMN-S-glSTdnWJeIvITWwUuh-89gMqATILPYIQcYTRuqLjYOqUeh6bT20SwH4i6t5Cvvx6SZhNMjjJFdFBVo6oFpwFOLmmg5zWoW932xdmDLLM7BY8/w640-h426/DSC01076.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The mood shifted. A Summertime magic was clearly all around us. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The world seemed quieter, somehow, and closer. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidt3Zf0ZKmmcGosler6ts1GkbKi7ie6Lo837GPA3o1EbFbEt4I6sRB0cylINz7rydmjuLauKM00EfblOrnXyfgHSuolpD6SC0AhHqtaR9BQXeSdGF2zy-B_VKKrxsrmll0dcElm7bnSvQ/s6000/DSC01072.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidt3Zf0ZKmmcGosler6ts1GkbKi7ie6Lo837GPA3o1EbFbEt4I6sRB0cylINz7rydmjuLauKM00EfblOrnXyfgHSuolpD6SC0AhHqtaR9BQXeSdGF2zy-B_VKKrxsrmll0dcElm7bnSvQ/w426-h640/DSC01072.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I let the night wash over me. I accepted it's pace and heat. And somewhere in there, my heart opened up to Oklahoma. I wasn't focused on it's unique sprawl, it's city-less feeling. I felt connected and intoxicated and wanted to view it with fresh eyes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I sought out one more sight before heading to my hotel for the evening.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVsYSlcSz5SDkkc5jdaKLzd0A8u93xu-2ofrSEit2LWfioAlpui8H6a_EMFms-Mso3NNOgFZIeIePzE_3-tfEJ9Wxy9BnwCNKDUyw88Mcs4KzZ83bt2qC18GITs8BB26mjDdVt9uYj3E/s6000/DSC01081.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVsYSlcSz5SDkkc5jdaKLzd0A8u93xu-2ofrSEit2LWfioAlpui8H6a_EMFms-Mso3NNOgFZIeIePzE_3-tfEJ9Wxy9BnwCNKDUyw88Mcs4KzZ83bt2qC18GITs8BB26mjDdVt9uYj3E/w640-h426/DSC01081.JPG" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wheeler-ferris-wheel" target="_blank">The Wheeler Ferris Wheel </a>in Oklahoma City. From 1996-2008 this Ferris wheel operated at <b><i>the</i></b> Santa Monica Pier and through a fluke was purchased on Ebay for OKC. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Foolishly, I assumed it would be running and as lit up as Pops, but like many attractions on my trip so far, when I showed up it was closed. Actually, I didn't know it was closed until I turned down an eerie path, past an open gate and wound down to an unlit parking lot. I could hear people talking and laughing. I saw one person taking pictures near the sign, but as I approached I realized that this was the late shift of concession workers closing up for the night. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the dark, I quickly balanced my camera on a three legged wrought iron table, using my lens cap to try and balance out the shot. And, as my final action, before jogging to my car and racing out of the lot ahead of the few remaining employees (afraid that they would lock the gate, trapping me there for the night), I snapped as many pictures as I could in 10 seconds. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The automatic feature slowed the shutter speed way down, and, as my camera slipped off the lens cap, I heard the shutter open, a long pause and the shutter close.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJ21Pd8Eo51xUVe5m_12dCpWIde_18e6Foua8DjPj1rNcfjBCZRGFpPXlnd0kcK0hq8N4D3-Vn97TSaqsQOTAHUjgEkyTfw8SXKce2LNlXkd8w_oCUvKtJb1CAT_m_7PYROQG2uhjrZA/s6000/DSC01079.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJ21Pd8Eo51xUVe5m_12dCpWIde_18e6Foua8DjPj1rNcfjBCZRGFpPXlnd0kcK0hq8N4D3-Vn97TSaqsQOTAHUjgEkyTfw8SXKce2LNlXkd8w_oCUvKtJb1CAT_m_7PYROQG2uhjrZA/w640-h426/DSC01079.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-21458398649312099172021-08-04T08:43:00.002-07:002021-08-04T08:43:38.225-07:00Am I in Oklahoma City?<p><b><i>Early morning thoughts.</i></b></p><p>I decided to pick up breakfast this morning, because OKC has not disappointed me yet on the food front. I chose <a href="https://www.stitchokc.com/" target="_blank">Stitch </a>because they offered Espresso Rubbed Bacon and Spiced Fruit. They also sold bags of coffee beans and must have 20 or more options. It's nuts! The breakfast was good. Nothing to write a blog about though.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7uMRVaZdEcv58iHhZ6mXx2l3tz64I1YikKOPSO2enqwOgy4sP42ua1TbK8CvFsSSuOTJ8dKTqjRLbcXsCjroURA7fJU06r3i7DspigXAtRqAefU9kgzXPsbM7gj3907kN4bpNyAqZkc/s2048/IMG_4904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7uMRVaZdEcv58iHhZ6mXx2l3tz64I1YikKOPSO2enqwOgy4sP42ua1TbK8CvFsSSuOTJ8dKTqjRLbcXsCjroURA7fJU06r3i7DspigXAtRqAefU9kgzXPsbM7gj3907kN4bpNyAqZkc/w640-h480/IMG_4904.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Anyway, while driving to Stich, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the sprawl of it all and just had to do a little researching when I got back to the hotel. </p><p>There is a website created and maintained by the Oklahoma City Government. I can only imagine that this was created because government officials (or likely receptionists or assistants) kept getting calls and were tired of answering the question, "Do I live in Oklahoma City?" </p><p>That's how sprawling and confusing the town is.</p><p><a href="https://www.okc.gov/residents/do-i-live-in-oklahoma-city">https://www.okc.gov/residents/do-i-live-in-oklahoma-city</a></p><p>See. They didn't even name it something clever like, "All the cool things inside OKC." They were like, "No. I'm sick of this. Just put up a map and name it something obvious, so people can search their address and know if they're in or out."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCnWP4OipktMe0AYDj8hgqyUwtsFY0dy0KQSB0iHSSM2_gukcTKCbo5XJ95x2ptG6sl9CQhETRKC9YdeRVI04uU9I_rfG4fYOGVc1y5PjXDs8G634SsPcs74dkh8ihvyQYNWxtm36JaQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="976" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCnWP4OipktMe0AYDj8hgqyUwtsFY0dy0KQSB0iHSSM2_gukcTKCbo5XJ95x2ptG6sl9CQhETRKC9YdeRVI04uU9I_rfG4fYOGVc1y5PjXDs8G634SsPcs74dkh8ihvyQYNWxtm36JaQ/w640-h460/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />I don't know if it's this wicky wacky shape that's the problem or if there's just too much space.<p></p><p>Then I asked myself, "Is it just me, or is OKC just too big for it's population?" </p><p>According to<a href="https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/cities/how-many-major-u-s-cities-can-you-fit-inside/" target="_blank"> this website, 26 Manhattans can fit in OKC</a>. One Manhattan currently has 1.6 million people. And not to do math or anything, but OKC has a population of around 650,000 (and could technically fit 41.6M angry and confused New Yorkers. Or a bunch of angry and confused folks from Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Manhattan, San Francisco and Miami - see below) </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7LGFCOpXoZ9H8fzbwsU6qxfiY8FymqemImEvsiY3H1IR0ZQkXlMQKuXwpXRnvEGH_p_ZcRyxSSXzsoiC6ElSIOfuRzOmpl-Xg6A4wUbs4L1gdrFRG78TZ1p1yYAihfvDNwo69ds1LLI/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="975" height="537" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7LGFCOpXoZ9H8fzbwsU6qxfiY8FymqemImEvsiY3H1IR0ZQkXlMQKuXwpXRnvEGH_p_ZcRyxSSXzsoiC6ElSIOfuRzOmpl-Xg6A4wUbs4L1gdrFRG78TZ1p1yYAihfvDNwo69ds1LLI/w640-h537/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />The Oklahoma City Thunder are the <b>STATE'S </b>only major league sports team. (Basketball. NBA.) Do you know how many baseball stadiums could fit in Oklahoma City alone?! Well, more than I can do the math for, but it would be the PERFECT place for baseball. Build it and they will come, People! I mean, they probably won't because they won't even know if they're in Oklahoma City.sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-63062415620846524922021-08-03T17:29:00.000-07:002021-08-03T17:29:07.958-07:00A night in<p>I'm not going to lie to you. My blog post today is a lot ho hum. I wrote it and didn't even want to re-read it for spellcheck purposes. That's how bored I was. So, I thought I'd try to add something fun at the start. Here it goes.</p><p>I'm sure you're all at home reading this in COVID lockdown or quarantine or you're just hiding from other people for a few minutes. Well, that's what it's been like for me over the last 16 months (or so). Typically, during covid-times if I leave the house, and that's a huge if, I am likely going for a walk or to the grocery store. The most I need to take with me are my house/car keys, wallet and personal phone. I've been really struggling with the amount of stuff I have to take with me every time I leave the hotel room or get out of the car. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Wallet</li><li>Personal Phone</li><li>Work Phone</li><li>Car Keys</li><li>Hotel Key</li><li>Mask / back-up mask</li><li>Camera</li><li>Any drink I may have, because it's hot out</li><li>Sunglasses</li><li>Charger for my phone, so I can plug it into the USB port in the car and link the maps to the screen in the car. I forgot a second phone charger, so I have to keep bringing it back and forth between the car and the hotel.</li><li>Snack, because I've already had one blood sugar issue and I'm not about to have another one</li></ul><p></p><p></p><div>I hear you. "Why don't you bring a purse or a bag?" I do. I have a camera bag that doubles as a messenger bag, so most of that stuff fits in there, but I still end up having my phone, charger, two sets of keys, mask and drink in my hands while trying to throw the bag over my shoulder and I don't like this. I feel like I'm literally juggling and I have dropped things many times. </div><div><br /></div><div>Is this what life was like before? I mean, minus the mask?</div><div><br /></div><div>This meme comes to mind.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKQdQec5loFUdpHtIPJ6O7d6_j7LjmslTKIK-z5VKHrO9Dy3REPGHaSjXbO56fif-phlFRbaGM8FNrhAyqQH4mk1pfmfeJguiAHTb1B9e0cip9aheKUzR0uWMu_IeoDk04vyruT5Y0lM/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKQdQec5loFUdpHtIPJ6O7d6_j7LjmslTKIK-z5VKHrO9Dy3REPGHaSjXbO56fif-phlFRbaGM8FNrhAyqQH4mk1pfmfeJguiAHTb1B9e0cip9aheKUzR0uWMu_IeoDk04vyruT5Y0lM/w338-h400/image.png" width="338" /></a></div><br />-----THE BLOG POST-----</div><p></p><p>My lovely co-workers suggested I take an extra long lunch to check out Oklahoma City (and reminded me to put my SD card back in the camera), so I placed an order for pick up in Bricktown and planned on that long lunch in the city. </p><p>I imagine Bricktown is the hot and happening part of town on a Friday night in OKC, but lunchtime on a Tuesday was sleepy to say the least. I think I saw 10 people. </p><p>I tried HARD to find the part of the city that felt like <b>a city</b> and, though Oklahoma City is a "Large American City", it does not exist. I think there are a handful of tall(ish) buildings in the city center area, but it felt like something I'd find in a smallish suburb back home. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZzPEvKaTHcnPkYYvuxMMORIHirLye6-QY886dyODzHOcbCllCs2-n0ZOQRNELNQZT5JonjYHYAwYyrzAq9qyJhGjTagZmcfz_003jMQ0VtxPMMP7Jcvin6u4bfOgF7vhrhye9X9cBa4/s6000/DSC01011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZzPEvKaTHcnPkYYvuxMMORIHirLye6-QY886dyODzHOcbCllCs2-n0ZOQRNELNQZT5JonjYHYAwYyrzAq9qyJhGjTagZmcfz_003jMQ0VtxPMMP7Jcvin6u4bfOgF7vhrhye9X9cBa4/w266-h400/DSC01011.JPG" title="The tallest building in OKC" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The tallest building in OKC - Devon Tower (844 ft)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjocahgpGUn1eNPINz7PXF7RpVFeA0FM7PtOHz0I8VJLVulcgL15ZmSzXRYxTTkkJX2pBPEXCdpcevd_cs-DUhf_Ji-zrZC25Uq4vdtNgN34uAUf0pd3VJ4unRHda8wU5KBKAXnLKJmA/s6000/DSC01005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjocahgpGUn1eNPINz7PXF7RpVFeA0FM7PtOHz0I8VJLVulcgL15ZmSzXRYxTTkkJX2pBPEXCdpcevd_cs-DUhf_Ji-zrZC25Uq4vdtNgN34uAUf0pd3VJ4unRHda8wU5KBKAXnLKJmA/w640-h426/DSC01005.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>That's it folks. That's the tallest and second tallest building in the city. (Chase Tower, 500 feet).</p><p>I drove around and saw some art, which I snapped pictures of from the car because I didn't feel like going for an hour long walk to see not much. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUino3o1GKC7eRChoLPRPUAkYJVUHSzmFSKkt8FesBqeJ-UfJWI88JXJGOAQxK4LhYkB7RfvMHhDeKuv8QBF7P1VbvV61REVsrnMs233jmypW3Tng7Gu1GkQNROGN1FJ8hHkqfsMOp4lg/s6000/DSC01012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUino3o1GKC7eRChoLPRPUAkYJVUHSzmFSKkt8FesBqeJ-UfJWI88JXJGOAQxK4LhYkB7RfvMHhDeKuv8QBF7P1VbvV61REVsrnMs233jmypW3Tng7Gu1GkQNROGN1FJ8hHkqfsMOp4lg/w640-h426/DSC01012.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>I was really hoping that OKC would be a cute city with fun things to do. Maybe not like New Orleans. But maybe more like Nashville, which is 90% residential and 10% music and sports. OKC feels 99% sprawl and mini malls, or whatever the modern version is that has a few restaurants and a Trader Joe's. </p><p>Here is an idea of the sprawl as taken from the car near Bricktown and the City Center </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpT2vrci0o3FCrMpwI-O8syRd2lFA_sSMRsilhejNS_hp0SSaxNupFhoN_7p3ubWar57xs9YNlPE_UuEeQWvBrS4LPT6-2ejJokpRegjDikE6aTaRR-fI_lEkDkl0tGDHZBxyYWXp6w1Q/s6000/DSC01017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpT2vrci0o3FCrMpwI-O8syRd2lFA_sSMRsilhejNS_hp0SSaxNupFhoN_7p3ubWar57xs9YNlPE_UuEeQWvBrS4LPT6-2ejJokpRegjDikE6aTaRR-fI_lEkDkl0tGDHZBxyYWXp6w1Q/w400-h266/DSC01017.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJRXsdRLUut_V3tnVkSZpJCmq88ENn9dbRtJzyCkpV1xh5AXHFiuSRTSZmOtjsOI-jCWsAgg8PL84FR35_iW2mn_uZC1P0JDNwvzF0HLpOjrIJTvGEKq9YoxGmQtsmmLxD0EHRO46eMc/s6000/DSC01019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJRXsdRLUut_V3tnVkSZpJCmq88ENn9dbRtJzyCkpV1xh5AXHFiuSRTSZmOtjsOI-jCWsAgg8PL84FR35_iW2mn_uZC1P0JDNwvzF0HLpOjrIJTvGEKq9YoxGmQtsmmLxD0EHRO46eMc/w400-h266/DSC01019.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAMEp6mgmX5V7Kx15j1uEhUQbh6NBtExlgTv0i7guJNGqB_V3RpvBU1AEnaWcYIsYJrKsRA1UFQwhs9VqbKBnFbCxHbghyphenhyphenEEbL1rTb9HwLY-Hs2c-iZMy4dvYQxSHyf030QDzvnamyYs/s6000/DSC01020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAMEp6mgmX5V7Kx15j1uEhUQbh6NBtExlgTv0i7guJNGqB_V3RpvBU1AEnaWcYIsYJrKsRA1UFQwhs9VqbKBnFbCxHbghyphenhyphenEEbL1rTb9HwLY-Hs2c-iZMy4dvYQxSHyf030QDzvnamyYs/w400-h266/DSC01020.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsSdOCNKiAR_bckpBn8rRtOT7_z9wWlXtYghjgNWW82wOVsqmHvm-s4urmFauFE4qFPjkmbdBmJdVpk0xd9geZ8AhtXRiu1LcTPcA1eu3VOd60Un8e3N-qJ26M68AaBX-ygPJyTR9FsY/s6000/DSC01023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsSdOCNKiAR_bckpBn8rRtOT7_z9wWlXtYghjgNWW82wOVsqmHvm-s4urmFauFE4qFPjkmbdBmJdVpk0xd9geZ8AhtXRiu1LcTPcA1eu3VOd60Un8e3N-qJ26M68AaBX-ygPJyTR9FsY/w400-h266/DSC01023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>Why is there so much empty space?</p><p>Also, I saw the Oklahoma City Hall / Municipal Building from the highway, which immediately reminded me of buildings I saw in Berlin that were built by Nazis, which architecturally makes a little sense because it the OKC Municipal Building was built between 1933 and 1939. </p><p>Tell me I'm wrong.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyAX_ETU_gLjXSJdjLkJnyWj21zBDE1U4qgDaoNDUu-ouMkv3KCJrkaJQBkQsYI0b-HPK87lmsaRaZW1ogT79XFjrxPsAI6CCrUlj5I3hljD8AIZgSJc6SpZtskPXlLdxaY15LbNW9jI/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyAX_ETU_gLjXSJdjLkJnyWj21zBDE1U4qgDaoNDUu-ouMkv3KCJrkaJQBkQsYI0b-HPK87lmsaRaZW1ogT79XFjrxPsAI6CCrUlj5I3hljD8AIZgSJc6SpZtskPXlLdxaY15LbNW9jI/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oklahoma City Municipal Building</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAi_bbwYSA973D6M2WPWgfn-RwdrTEkqWm746CJmUZs0d6cNQIQxTgL-IvOOkJCbyzEuvSdEnUcJDCsOBEBJG3Myh_TKkot8JEO3ZhXt36JuEn4SXnuEI9b_D66TiIBlaKxPAn_amso8E/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="450" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAi_bbwYSA973D6M2WPWgfn-RwdrTEkqWm746CJmUZs0d6cNQIQxTgL-IvOOkJCbyzEuvSdEnUcJDCsOBEBJG3Myh_TKkot8JEO3ZhXt36JuEn4SXnuEI9b_D66TiIBlaKxPAn_amso8E/" width="320" /></a></div>House of the German Council of Municipalities</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, nothing really spoke to me in OKC today. So, I decided to order room service for dinner and treat myself to a bath with a bath bomb I've had for maybe 3 or 4 years. </div><br /></div>I'm working tomorrow and then I have two proper vacation days. Wednesday at lunchtime, or maybe after work, I plan on hitting up a few spots for fun OKC pictures (stay tuned) and a museum or two on Thursday. You probably won't be disappointed. They have a pigeon museum, y'all. And then on Friday morning, I'll drive up to Kansas, through Wakita (Twister movie shout out!) and head back south on Saturday and Sunday. I fly home from Dallas on Sunday evening.<div><br /></div><div> <div><p><br /></p></div></div>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-80429429426895861542021-08-03T08:56:00.003-07:002021-08-03T09:05:21.423-07:00My neck, my back, my laptop and my hacks<p>When I travel, my body reacts the same way every time, and I always forget. I should really leave myself a note. </p><p>Here is the note to me.</p><p>(There is a little bit TMI in the following note, but we're all humans, right? RIGHT?!)</p><p>Dear Self,</p><p>Wear sunblock when driving long distances. Remember the time you drove from California to Mount Rushmore and after the first couple of days you were like, "Why does my face hurt so much at the end of a long day? And why is it so red?" Sunburn! And remember when you bought that flannel shirt from some random shop in the middle of nowhere just to tuck it in your driver's side window to block the sun because you just couldn't take it anymore? Wear sunblock and maybe wear long sleeved shirts.</p><p>Don't forget to pack a tennis ball for working out the kinks in your shoulder from driving a long time, or sleeping on a weird hotel pillow. Bring extra Advil for when your back hurts from driving for a long time, or sleeping on a weird hotel bed. I know you won't do this next thing but, for God's sake, stretch. It should help, though I have no proof of this since you never do it.</p><p>Try not to worry too much about why your throat is scratchy and your eyes are watery. You get allergies when you travel to new places. You are not getting sick. You are allergic to the world. Take Zyrek and tissues. Also, hotel air conditioning dries you out. Bring nasal spray if you want, but definitely bring chap stick. Lotion wouldn't hurt, but again, I know you won't do this. </p><p>If you fly for more than an hour, you will get constipated for a few days. I know, that's not usually your problem in life, but flying does some dark arts magic to you and the first few days will be uncomfortable. Drink lots of water and eat your veggies. You will bloat and be generally sad about this, but it will work itself out and you can go back to being regular and happy for the second half of your trip.</p><p>Ok, remember when you were driving on Highway 50, aka The Loneliest Road in the America, and there was one bathroom for like 500 miles and you were nowhere near it? Remember that huge mound of dirt next to the road and what you did behind it? On day one of any long road trip, put a roll of toilet paper in your car. Also, I still love you, don't forget that.</p><p>If you're going to work from bed, because your hotel room doesn't have a desk, put your laptop on something that is not a pillow. You don't want it overheating. Try a room service tray or a book. Let that shit vent.</p><p>I know that was a lot. Here are some things you do well. I'm so proud of you!</p><p>You avoid gluten. Remember that time you went to New Orleans and threw caution to the wind, eating donuts and beignets? Those days are over. No more missing out on fun activities because you don't feel well. You figured it out! Good job!</p><p>You always load up on water. The first time you bought a case of water to keep with you, it was a genius moment. And on that same trip, you ended up miles deep in a lava field that you were pretty sure wasn't meant for a rental sedan. <a href="http://gosportik.blogspot.com/2016/06/crater-of-moon-dirt-road-of-doom-and.html" target="_blank">You hit a rock at like 5mph, but it shifted the whole car to the side and you had a moment of panic looking at the outside temperature (104, I believe) and were at least thankful for that case of water, in case you did damage to the undercarriage</a>, which you did not, you lucky girl!</p><p>You don't go out at night alone. I don't remember this being a conscious choice, but I'm thankful for it. Sure, you might miss out on seeing city lights or a wild amount of stars, but you never find yourself in the middle of nowhere at midnight, alone and vulnerable. You are always well fed and safe in your hotel room by sunset, exhausted from a long day of exploring...and with hours to write your little blog.</p><p>Oh, you blog! I'm so glad you've been doing this since 2014 and I really hope the site never goes down because you've captured some amazing memories! I should probably look into backing these up. I'm going to go do that now. </p><p>Keep up the good work! And stay safe!</p><p><br /></p>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-90453871553539316992021-08-02T19:49:00.006-07:002021-08-02T21:17:35.695-07:00OKC > Nunu's and Pops 66 Soda Ranch<p>Imagine you're watching the beginning of a movie, not quite sure what to expect and something pops up on the screen that let's you know you're seeing the future. That's this. But imagine it's future me, which is really past me because I'm writing this blog after the fact, explaining the memory of an even further past event.</p><p>...and that reminds me of the time I was at a friend's opulent wedding. My first ever wedding in Australia. It was at a big church, with amazingly curated grounds. Honestly, I can't tell you more detail about her dress or the priest, who I think was wearing a dress too (you know, those Catholic pullover deals), but my memory might be entirely fabricated, because, though I did snap about 100 pictures, I didn't have a memory card in my camera and noticed about 10 seconds before the actual ceremony when I turned bright red and put my camera down. </p><p>Then flash to present me. (Camera pun?) Or maybe it's past me. First thing this morning. See, this is why I don't write scripts. I blame <i>that</i> on the time I was accepted to UC Santa Barbara to study English, because the film department didn't want me and I took a tour and everything with a friend from high school, but decided I really didn't want to have HIM as the only person I knew in SB, because I didn't really like him that much anymore, and on the day we were supposed to pack the car to move to UCSB, I decided I wasn't going and finished my already in-progress English degree from Cal State Hayward, where I had no friends and was perfectly fine with that. </p><p>Omg. I think listening to this Jenny Lawson book is making me write like this. But she's (self-admittedly) very mentally unwell. Maybe I should talk to someone about that. Like my therapist on Thursday. </p><p>I haven't even had one drink, you guys. This is just me and I haven't even started telling you the story of my day. It's probably because the highlight was blueberry soda. (That's what they call a teaser).</p><p>-----------------------------</p><p>Chapter One: My First Day in Oklahoma City</p><p>Seriously, I'm in some kind of mood to write a chapter heading to the middle of a blog post.</p><p>Alright, here's the story of my day in bullet points, because I know you're just here for the pictures (which I will deliver, despite the other teaser about the memory cardless wedding).</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Woke up at 9am CT</li><li>Realized I put out the "please deliver coffee and breakfast to me" sign too late for them to act on it.</li><li>Ordered and received coffee and a gluten free dessert...I mean breakfast. A delicious blueberry scone.</li><li>Worked from my hotel room until lunch.</li><li>Ordered lunch from a salad place, picked up lunch, drove back to the hotel. Realized 80% of the way back that I was OUT of blood sugar and started sweating.</li><li>Made it back to my room in a full sweat with shakes. I guess coffee and a scone aren't what this incredibly strong (read: weak) body needs in the morning.</li><li>Ate an INCREDIBLY delicious salad as fast as possible, while taking breaks to lay on the ground near the A/C in the hopes to stop sweating.</li><li>Worked for the afternoon from my hotel room. </li><li>Looked incredibly good on Zoom. I guess a blood sugar crash does wonders for my complexion.</li><li>Dinner....</li></ul><div>Here is where I will properly start the story.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the afternoon, I realized I might need an actual meal for dinner. I did a search for "Best Restaurants in OKC" and close to the top of the list was <a href="https://www.nunuscafe.com/" target="_blank">Nunu's Mediterranean Café</a> located in the Tropical Cafe Smoothie building. Whatever that means. I ordered dinner online for pick up and jumped in my car, listening to more hilarious details about how Jenny Lawson's health insurance doesn't cover anything she needs and is a general hinderance to people with depression and suicidal ideation. Really light stuff, ya know? </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, on the 17 minute drive to this restaurant it hit me just how sprawling Oklahoma City is. I made some notes for myself on my phone. The highlights were:</div><div><br /></div><div>"I've never driven to a city before and not known if I'd made it."</div><div>"No wonder <a href="http://www.news9.com/story/60f1b4f5c916600c1252979f/okc-ranks-unhealthiest-out-of-americas-100-largest-cities" target="_blank">OKC Ranks Unhealthiest Out Of America's 100 Largest Cities</a> there is no incentive to walk anywhere. It's a mile from one store to another. Nothing is close to anything."</div><div><br /></div><div>My GPS gave me directions to the back of a square tan building in a huge and empty parking lot. I was like "this can't be it". There were no signs for Nunu's, but I did notice the drive-thru for the smoothie place, so I figured out that I was BEHIND the building. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvzrENvmuZJzGF6_PT9NB2R-UpZ5ee5KmXmAaSsC_d2O_NoXO4Y7Kv1g1QCdDXMtjrNGUcuchLYNA0Ft05lC6jYWyGWV5xgZrPDpmsqegczPNUqcNQ8aJWiFCSrO4sOiPye-OJyG298Q/s2048/IMG_4836.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvzrENvmuZJzGF6_PT9NB2R-UpZ5ee5KmXmAaSsC_d2O_NoXO4Y7Kv1g1QCdDXMtjrNGUcuchLYNA0Ft05lC6jYWyGWV5xgZrPDpmsqegczPNUqcNQ8aJWiFCSrO4sOiPye-OJyG298Q/w640-h480/IMG_4836.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMg2QwHog4yRIPBPbG95zu6kLStAqtCNBSDJQbQYpObWLkdKL7VWGiS9PG_oA1gTb71dSQPNKSWSqHleg_je2G-P0uVK9cmVo7PLXeKefxv3CWkxd9wCAH9otuJp9UbTwG_KVS3E5Za0/s2048/IMG_4838.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMg2QwHog4yRIPBPbG95zu6kLStAqtCNBSDJQbQYpObWLkdKL7VWGiS9PG_oA1gTb71dSQPNKSWSqHleg_je2G-P0uVK9cmVo7PLXeKefxv3CWkxd9wCAH9otuJp9UbTwG_KVS3E5Za0/w480-h640/IMG_4838.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>I went in to pick up my food, and here's where I will mention that every restaurant, store, hotel, etc that I've been in Oklahoma City has employees wearing masks. HURRAH! But 90% of the patrons do not. BOO! Still, I wear mine when around people and no one seems to notice. I mean, I'm the dykiest thing they've seen in Oklahoma, so it's my hair they stare at while opening the door for me or politely getting out of my way. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcZ8tKDi7KG8aguLtdzl0VwKpua6FwjyZOUriIG6Ovpj7hYIxfrAawOTW20KLQ3JNBzcRC3pth1Q81yrAE7MOV2CkLFZWpA__OrhDY42OoTi_SZmKj5-L2D-a0n0uOmkYgh4_GbEukg0/s2048/IMG_4768.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcZ8tKDi7KG8aguLtdzl0VwKpua6FwjyZOUriIG6Ovpj7hYIxfrAawOTW20KLQ3JNBzcRC3pth1Q81yrAE7MOV2CkLFZWpA__OrhDY42OoTi_SZmKj5-L2D-a0n0uOmkYgh4_GbEukg0/w640-h480/IMG_4768.JPG" width="640" /></a></div></div><p>Proof of hair, from an odd angle. Anyway....</p><p>I grabbed my food and plugged into the GPS (and please know that I mean Google Maps, and not an actual GPS) <a href="https://www.pops66.com/" target="_blank">Pops 66 Soda Ranch</a>, because if I'm going to work all day, then I'm at least going to see one <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pops" target="_blank">tourist attraction</a> at night. And that's when I put my bag of food on the floor of the passenger's side of the car and drove 30 minutes to buy a soda. </p><p>On the way, I had this sad feeling wash over me that Oklahoma roads (highways) are really boring. I'd been looking at Google Maps before embarking on this adventure, thinking "well, it's only 3 hours to Kansas, I might as well check another state of the list." But at that moment, between the Tropical Smoothie Cafe building and the soda joint, I wasn't looking forward to long drives up and down Oklahoma. </p><p>That changed when I arrived at Pops 66 and realized that I was on THE Route 66. Pretty cool! </p><p>At Pops there is a 66-foot neon pop bottle structure! (To be honest, I forgot that it was neon. I showed up during the day and did not see or hear the splendor of neon). Inside the store / restaurant / soda fountain there were old time soda bottles of all flavors and colors adorning the glass shelves and walls. I picked a blueberry soda from Maine and went to eat dinner in my car. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDP0g8KvIJ2XnoUDexbxvG6daoOlqd_6U0cz0YPL0qX_S3qrzoNKX_1P-CDbRO78utIE93eY8Qi3xHjC6rlE1PW8BbVg4rXynvVG0bLk3ZT2v8zMRG9jkDUyl79XeG_Pz0xFB6KPJ6pI/s2048/IMG_4863.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDP0g8KvIJ2XnoUDexbxvG6daoOlqd_6U0cz0YPL0qX_S3qrzoNKX_1P-CDbRO78utIE93eY8Qi3xHjC6rlE1PW8BbVg4rXynvVG0bLk3ZT2v8zMRG9jkDUyl79XeG_Pz0xFB6KPJ6pI/w640-h480/IMG_4863.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiErs4vbfWUIoLzYNt6nmMjihEAuzym_8mGOApARD2YUpCtuOs58N2_QnkknV-CGRw3qS6kGdGXf_ZaKXzZck-BVBCYmyBvNZgX7kZpu-gCK7ZaC7k5f-7k1-vrLbuEgZx2t37tdL9ch2A/s2048/IMG_4841.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiErs4vbfWUIoLzYNt6nmMjihEAuzym_8mGOApARD2YUpCtuOs58N2_QnkknV-CGRw3qS6kGdGXf_ZaKXzZck-BVBCYmyBvNZgX7kZpu-gCK7ZaC7k5f-7k1-vrLbuEgZx2t37tdL9ch2A/w640-h480/IMG_4841.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>I want to complain about the plastic bag from the restaurant because it was tied with two knots, taped shut and then stapled shut but I Hulk Hogan'd my way into it and pulled out my Styrofoam containers of maybe the most delicious Lebanese/Mediterranean food I've ever had the pleasure of eating. I'd never had a cabbage wrap before and it made me do that thing you do when you're surprised while eating and you open your eyes as wide as possible without changing your expression and you move your head back a little and then make that Jack Nicholson downturned mouth of appreciation while sort of squinting your opened eyes. Is that just me?</p><p>The blueberry soda was yummy, but what sugary drink isn't?</p><p>After eating and maintaining an appropriate blood sugar level (or maybe a little on the high side), I went back into Pops with my fancy camera. You know the one I took all those Bison and Prairie Dog pictures with yesterday? Oh, I should mention, I turned off the beep, so shoppers wouldn't think I was a noob, like the Bison did.</p><p>I started snapping shots of the bottles on the walls, in the cases, on shelves. I took pictures of funny bottles and serious bottles and the soda fountain area and souvenirs. And that's when I noticed the little flashing note on the LCD screen that said something like, "Hey, did you remember to take the SD card out of your laptop after blogging last night?" </p><p>...and that reminds me of the time I was at a friend's opulent wedding...when I snapped about 100 pictures and then realized that I didn't have a memory card in my camera. </p><p>So, I mouthed a number of swear words behind my mask and started taking one-handed pictures on my iPhone while this expensive-ass camera dangled from my other hand. Noob.</p><p>Here are said pictures.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UDhRG7HAV8cSGbPYDZqXl1zSRNpDgJDfY0YDyOiAOweyhnjZH4DTRr3YqnDM8EDAsHM6Pmk9ToVZ7VgBmd4dQJ54ED_dcQ255uy7oohZn4Z_TEmgdVOHdi4Y-bwx2iMXN864HXLsIes/s2048/IMG_4849.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UDhRG7HAV8cSGbPYDZqXl1zSRNpDgJDfY0YDyOiAOweyhnjZH4DTRr3YqnDM8EDAsHM6Pmk9ToVZ7VgBmd4dQJ54ED_dcQ255uy7oohZn4Z_TEmgdVOHdi4Y-bwx2iMXN864HXLsIes/w150-h200/IMG_4849.JPG" width="150" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtmSr_dNtt9_oBaO0RjHbu-qW1Ct_XakXuYN_dMFmIQan7CHQUeiwjqogT0SvpV7nhV16dvy8pIgfYRvSq1CQwb7x36oC8VF_VTVTr0kQVvQH0TXg1yEvZGbnmTahit-xMDpdeUzXZeY/s2048/IMG_4847.JPG" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtmSr_dNtt9_oBaO0RjHbu-qW1Ct_XakXuYN_dMFmIQan7CHQUeiwjqogT0SvpV7nhV16dvy8pIgfYRvSq1CQwb7x36oC8VF_VTVTr0kQVvQH0TXg1yEvZGbnmTahit-xMDpdeUzXZeY/w150-h200/IMG_4847.JPG" width="150" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXsh0kpQ_1a-Zx_t-s0FR8GByReHnGkjOvIUkOJGnveOie7Ixos7lpyAPhLrN63iISYMHYyrxM-1R-8nMejKLLAJgVbRg7WPNAPJk5xkBjChitm-c8zcgdGCxsG7hGDXv4I9R27twgII/s2048/IMG_4848.JPG" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXsh0kpQ_1a-Zx_t-s0FR8GByReHnGkjOvIUkOJGnveOie7Ixos7lpyAPhLrN63iISYMHYyrxM-1R-8nMejKLLAJgVbRg7WPNAPJk5xkBjChitm-c8zcgdGCxsG7hGDXv4I9R27twgII/w150-h200/IMG_4848.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9sIIaNha6cu5glFPHSOiKJhh973kGiYjwxMYoG10Bj466CHOBAHiyLZpT0SspwvauLsORoG1m6d4cuazQjuR3D21-kfV6VHTbu8iRxo3V91E8W4ErYbaGswdt4cSeGaEoKyQEgbwZGg/s2048/IMG_4846.JPG" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9sIIaNha6cu5glFPHSOiKJhh973kGiYjwxMYoG10Bj466CHOBAHiyLZpT0SspwvauLsORoG1m6d4cuazQjuR3D21-kfV6VHTbu8iRxo3V91E8W4ErYbaGswdt4cSeGaEoKyQEgbwZGg/w150-h200/IMG_4846.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And some more pictures</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEe3CISDhnC2JgkJgQ6u_76R2kZc-_7yczliB5em5IHFTF-jEPuaRkm2Nt_6mOajYNnIncqZORegz2eJLo7pBFPN9LIIMKHipbqUYJhN_3cKl1cwxXqbkWU2n7DPittJRCAbq1ohE60OY/s2048/IMG_4844.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEe3CISDhnC2JgkJgQ6u_76R2kZc-_7yczliB5em5IHFTF-jEPuaRkm2Nt_6mOajYNnIncqZORegz2eJLo7pBFPN9LIIMKHipbqUYJhN_3cKl1cwxXqbkWU2n7DPittJRCAbq1ohE60OY/w640-h480/IMG_4844.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WkFyzSxOha3sMmMRI1wHVrjS0Q9xy2si3OfkAhnVcdTjnjusMZg522Xemim1VN6-qn3XzLWpJMOv0Lzqs93U_JeznitVIkWpEL9aWn5qcT4uvW-0VXbPmPZQfB4Nv4n8jbT9S1i-bGg/s2048/IMG_4850.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WkFyzSxOha3sMmMRI1wHVrjS0Q9xy2si3OfkAhnVcdTjnjusMZg522Xemim1VN6-qn3XzLWpJMOv0Lzqs93U_JeznitVIkWpEL9aWn5qcT4uvW-0VXbPmPZQfB4Nv4n8jbT9S1i-bGg/w640-h480/IMG_4850.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDOOJEgbyHFsvkdq8TI-6JW9ui7RRXsZw6635LxydAJWkYBf7Ggkf06IMnYFFJbG3HnTnJdndftl9Ewxe3fVBJ_iMS7RQAIr63WXMUL7W8j2ZTDRy_zPrEQ8YvASP51thpeLNA9WqP_o/s2048/IMG_4852.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDOOJEgbyHFsvkdq8TI-6JW9ui7RRXsZw6635LxydAJWkYBf7Ggkf06IMnYFFJbG3HnTnJdndftl9Ewxe3fVBJ_iMS7RQAIr63WXMUL7W8j2ZTDRy_zPrEQ8YvASP51thpeLNA9WqP_o/w480-h640/IMG_4852.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And souvenirs, old candies and stuff</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZDi1b1tlYb504WiPjucqmi4vHoKw2vvfI0lQaS5qIl6KPxd67NAx9QL8LWtywypqswVGjRepSQGBTEKD6mrodbrkW65j_pF-y7nqGzuqqHu-rYJeynDhX4TJHwweKJpB-DCjRgH3GJg/s2048/IMG_4853.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZDi1b1tlYb504WiPjucqmi4vHoKw2vvfI0lQaS5qIl6KPxd67NAx9QL8LWtywypqswVGjRepSQGBTEKD6mrodbrkW65j_pF-y7nqGzuqqHu-rYJeynDhX4TJHwweKJpB-DCjRgH3GJg/w480-h640/IMG_4853.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9IMYx_pnH-WW_1nBblYa5iqcyU-V1D1yglN6krd3OapQDAhEEZopT4kcCM7pKUfhcyIRhPlKuLjTf58ofe7xrvLFApgBaBdcXwrxMmFxfn5zDo1I-TMk_gAeU8OSl6k2uJkEHqShBgsA/s2048/IMG_4854.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9IMYx_pnH-WW_1nBblYa5iqcyU-V1D1yglN6krd3OapQDAhEEZopT4kcCM7pKUfhcyIRhPlKuLjTf58ofe7xrvLFApgBaBdcXwrxMmFxfn5zDo1I-TMk_gAeU8OSl6k2uJkEHqShBgsA/w640-h480/IMG_4854.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPK4dnXaS6bhOH8LI6v43iM72CX5N3oUp29uFt0vRALTRY-R8goYxmsEvyghedMsuowtyMLKs4rKDxhSu4jAVbCJkuZhUv50ksHqgogwj4TII9c1H1l33B1gpzUIIAfeb55Sp69xzoLo/s2048/IMG_4855.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPK4dnXaS6bhOH8LI6v43iM72CX5N3oUp29uFt0vRALTRY-R8goYxmsEvyghedMsuowtyMLKs4rKDxhSu4jAVbCJkuZhUv50ksHqgogwj4TII9c1H1l33B1gpzUIIAfeb55Sp69xzoLo/w640-h480/IMG_4855.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3UjD7mADBJvdA7HCRuSzM3SD8qQPMxaVRsU2JeOcGfeZtmWIoB9GFImZNME2YIgdht4DP7WoNbrfzXO8_BC-1W0cl87lwuuzrAuvxRPvbEHhhrT3xUQhtl9o0Su220-5WdZhivvokxo/s2048/IMG_4856.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3UjD7mADBJvdA7HCRuSzM3SD8qQPMxaVRsU2JeOcGfeZtmWIoB9GFImZNME2YIgdht4DP7WoNbrfzXO8_BC-1W0cl87lwuuzrAuvxRPvbEHhhrT3xUQhtl9o0Su220-5WdZhivvokxo/w480-h640/IMG_4856.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>This is candy and NOT, definitely NOT fake cigarettes for kids<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekcL1NnpDAe8KpyhnHCkQPEjPnIdzzPcEqd1H4GI04uRmeIYhi6PsDc7y0_1dYASItgJ2qg20MLXmmp9MZgCFzpBZUlvQdCucEjBMAXZJv-C4daw5QAadl1U8BKS45oKNYW3vNxcp_2I/s2048/IMG_4857.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekcL1NnpDAe8KpyhnHCkQPEjPnIdzzPcEqd1H4GI04uRmeIYhi6PsDc7y0_1dYASItgJ2qg20MLXmmp9MZgCFzpBZUlvQdCucEjBMAXZJv-C4daw5QAadl1U8BKS45oKNYW3vNxcp_2I/w640-h480/IMG_4857.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> Happy Little Tree Mints</div><div><br /></div><div>I had a lovely time, though mad about the SD card, walking around and looking at all this old and useless junk which I totally bought some of. I checked out with the same girl who sold me the blueberry soda only minutes before. I asked her how many of the sodas she tired and she said, "Um. Maybe two. I don't really like soda." And that was the moment I realized I would drive to Kansas and love every minute of it. You can't get shit like this unless you travel the long, boring roads it takes to get to the PEOPLE. </div><div><br /></div><div>People are what make these trips worth anything at all. Just knowing that this girl (and I say girl, but she was probably 30...or 20...I mean, now that I'm old, I can't tell people's ages anymore)...where was I, oh right, this girl who doesn't really like soda, works at a <i>famous</i> soda shop on <i>the</i> Route 66 in Arcadia Oklahoma because she needed a job and one came up. Where else was she going to work? The Round Barn down the street?!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWe7eWI26rsRcQdEnvCOQz1HCO1BrIhUSzb6XomwEnHPlUc7BqcDiCdBRRzATgpVkyvxpIvN1SU8ytG44VwKA6ij10MZF3xcUCiHx8z1m-kib6QguGXidhi_pQBPD5l1UOicallmWolak/s2048/IMG_4864.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWe7eWI26rsRcQdEnvCOQz1HCO1BrIhUSzb6XomwEnHPlUc7BqcDiCdBRRzATgpVkyvxpIvN1SU8ytG44VwKA6ij10MZF3xcUCiHx8z1m-kib6QguGXidhi_pQBPD5l1UOicallmWolak/w640-h480/IMG_4864.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gg1AVHUjGOa_aGoXE4OPyh-n53JTSpcijlfAZizC3-fy8tCyhusqd30EqLOHt7bC6voj3JIpx6hIr6YxRPXust-nMt30zImmxvODlke4oEyeykUAPl7v6a8Ej7H1jf3oydjK3MTY6TE/s2048/IMG_4867.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gg1AVHUjGOa_aGoXE4OPyh-n53JTSpcijlfAZizC3-fy8tCyhusqd30EqLOHt7bC6voj3JIpx6hIr6YxRPXust-nMt30zImmxvODlke4oEyeykUAPl7v6a8Ej7H1jf3oydjK3MTY6TE/w640-h480/IMG_4867.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>No, really. That's a thing. Two minutes down the road, <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/arcadia-round-barn" target="_blank">The Arcadia Round Barn</a>. But then that's it. I drove around the neighborhood a little and the prospects are limited.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVgN-ObMVP_MqRY2X6nG_NKz_DsQT9AcfjvjzeVNmb2KJIK12tv6TsPTClHxbFsyywcm0sW6md41ASSWBnMuoWm_Rt0HDWD8GCiyTJ5HikCKQA9-tQyntIi84DvkJGH1XFD1EymcCA-s/s2048/IMG_4869.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVgN-ObMVP_MqRY2X6nG_NKz_DsQT9AcfjvjzeVNmb2KJIK12tv6TsPTClHxbFsyywcm0sW6md41ASSWBnMuoWm_Rt0HDWD8GCiyTJ5HikCKQA9-tQyntIi84DvkJGH1XFD1EymcCA-s/w640-h480/IMG_4869.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>And that concluded my very first full day in Oklahoma City. Charmed by the locals, delighted by the food and with a little more appreciation for the visually same-y highways that take people like me to people like you and everyone in between. </div><div><br /></div><div>#teampete</div><div>#infrastructure</div><div><br /></div><div>p.s. maybe that Pete reference was a little too deep of a cut. He's the infrastructure guy now. Roads. Oh well, I'm tired.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-85462421944391638502021-08-01T19:43:00.005-07:002021-08-01T19:43:47.720-07:00DAL > OKC via Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge<p>I am writing this after 8 hours on the road and a little gin (sorry mom). </p><p>I set my alarm this morning for 8am CT (6am my body clock's time), so I could get a jump on the day and hopefully avoid the heat. Didn't work. I walked to Starbucks around 8:15am (before a shower). It was only 82 degrees out, but the humidity was 71% which is a little like waterboarding. </p><p>I'll save you the details about my perspiration today, as I think you had your fill (if you read yesterday's blog). </p><p>Before heading to OKC, I decided to Google, "Best of Dallas." The first search result was JFK's assassination. Really, Dallas? That's your best?</p><p>Quick side note: my brain started spinning about all the things I want to write and share and then I said out loud to myself, "this is why blogging takes you two hours." And it always does. I REALLY want to write for 10 minutes and go to bed at the end of a big travel day, but NOOOOO, I just have to share all the little bits and bobs that pop into my noggin. </p><p>Now, I don't know why I didn't think of JFK when I booked the ticket to Dallas Love Field airport. THE airport where Kennedy's motorcade started on that fateful date. I, also, don't know why I didn't think of it, since I've listened to the 11.22.63 audiobook more times than I care to admit.</p><p>Second and a lot less relevant side note: While listening to 11.22.63 for the first time, I was making this cardboard art as a very first valentine's day gift to Krista. It still hangs in our bedroom. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkRAsgvkFLslR1AaM5xF9DK0KSvgVN15qIzjGw2jPLn2bgP1zW1Bdxu67tPIdPaclpio_Kz32IejPFEzKpwTpbEgviJsipz7yMqZxsg1ABxGgbK6qgSQQONb0G0aAXnnh_ksXvdtthCQ/s2048/Cardboard+Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1825" data-original-width="2048" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkRAsgvkFLslR1AaM5xF9DK0KSvgVN15qIzjGw2jPLn2bgP1zW1Bdxu67tPIdPaclpio_Kz32IejPFEzKpwTpbEgviJsipz7yMqZxsg1ABxGgbK6qgSQQONb0G0aAXnnh_ksXvdtthCQ/w640-h570/Cardboard+Art.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>With Dealey Plaza in the GPS at only 8 minutes from my hotel, I started my journey at 9:30am this morning. </p><p>I knew that I wouldn't be able to join a tour at the <a href="https://www.jfk.org/" target="_blank">Sixth Floor Museum</a>, as online tickets were sold out, so I parked on a random street nearby. It turns out I parked right outside the Dallas County Criminal Courts building. The same building where Jack Ruby shot John Oswald and where Clyde Barrow spent some time (before meeting Bonnie)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho03AV-KyUFxhz1kHDpHG0d7i4h5q94ayve9lk3ZOLTwO46NCgXQY1M0SltBpfkB3BJmpL1aLiqGZEOWr5jdhuFllRaUXbMSEQpYbVVpDQ9p5mVbpZGvELYt6rOk1H1DwmJjn5ii1QhAw/s6000/DSC00930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho03AV-KyUFxhz1kHDpHG0d7i4h5q94ayve9lk3ZOLTwO46NCgXQY1M0SltBpfkB3BJmpL1aLiqGZEOWr5jdhuFllRaUXbMSEQpYbVVpDQ9p5mVbpZGvELYt6rOk1H1DwmJjn5ii1QhAw/w640-h426/DSC00930.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>You might ask, "Didn't Jack Ruby shoot Oswald outside the Dallas Police Headquarters?" Yes and I believe these are the same place, because I was informed of said facts by a very friendly one-eyed potentially homeless man who rushed up to me with all sorts of facts!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNqeA5fOUGW_5RR-gwqxdnB2TEM0wlqhX2Am8Wk6e39phRnQWAPaEdX1pHCLrdoDjLzCnH3YniFS8AiWuUNfoeKVTFC3pxL2Eh16FPj7QBXUC4dPsTGs-Q0rpMLoPKcndj24N7fNA3vY/s6000/DSC00939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNqeA5fOUGW_5RR-gwqxdnB2TEM0wlqhX2Am8Wk6e39phRnQWAPaEdX1pHCLrdoDjLzCnH3YniFS8AiWuUNfoeKVTFC3pxL2Eh16FPj7QBXUC4dPsTGs-Q0rpMLoPKcndj24N7fNA3vY/w426-h640/DSC00939.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br />So, you guys, I scored my own PERSONAL tour guide for the morning, while suckers paid for tickets to an air conditioned and totally legit museum.</div><div><br /></div><div>I did not catch this gentleman's name, but I did tell him (while securing my mask) that I didn't have any cash on me. He was VERY kind and probably knowledgeable and walked me to every spot you could want to see on a tour of JFK's assassination. Keep in mind that my iced americano was melting in the car and I was not fully awake, while sweating profusely in the sun on this impromptu and intensely emotional tour of a President's murder. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway...there are literally x's on the ground where the shots...made impact, shall we say. That was blowing my mind (sorry. I'm so sorry.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZ7d7L7EVE9n6c54ALnHEyCzjKcthLb7qoVoLOWZ07qEaLfTy6_U-p8ZuCkAPacwfIINdKRM7Y0w3YHmM6aJ0THs0PeeNsWRywoRbFoGoL0rW5jtd5a56WdYhl42B6d7pFCSD7PczzYQ/s6000/DSC00937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZ7d7L7EVE9n6c54ALnHEyCzjKcthLb7qoVoLOWZ07qEaLfTy6_U-p8ZuCkAPacwfIINdKRM7Y0w3YHmM6aJ0THs0PeeNsWRywoRbFoGoL0rW5jtd5a56WdYhl42B6d7pFCSD7PczzYQ/w640-h426/DSC00937.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihW1YOddv4Yf0tVYzJMm1npgPyR7mFPg0kltvXEPVEoBW9XXTrNz1oBXKX03YEgaLI0vEJIjrW42sL2LCFBM9fiEgU4PRAH40lc12nmbM1ntGGvfpX9LT0QwCU5lHPVzwfiKDeZ5Iveik/s6000/DSC00938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihW1YOddv4Yf0tVYzJMm1npgPyR7mFPg0kltvXEPVEoBW9XXTrNz1oBXKX03YEgaLI0vEJIjrW42sL2LCFBM9fiEgU4PRAH40lc12nmbM1ntGGvfpX9LT0QwCU5lHPVzwfiKDeZ5Iveik/w640-h426/DSC00938.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The photo above contains a haunting x on the ground, but also THE grassy knoll. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My guide showed me a third shot that embedded itself in this concrete. CLEARLY the shot was from the highway and not from the book depository's location. Multiple shots were fired y'all. Conspiracies abound! (I know you can't see it, but I do...so...yeah, that's good enough for now)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PerZmEd7n6AiZLhUIJhveYTLd0Y_FT1zGVy6C4WrnT1chr0aGA1rtmdv9esWMFbu2Pg5WAaqqMDvRZxAe1k0Nhr6vNxTt98Of1LDz8zdAqvOq18vzCASsf1BRH93_t6yq6Rw6VulV00/s6000/DSC00941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: red; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PerZmEd7n6AiZLhUIJhveYTLd0Y_FT1zGVy6C4WrnT1chr0aGA1rtmdv9esWMFbu2Pg5WAaqqMDvRZxAe1k0Nhr6vNxTt98Of1LDz8zdAqvOq18vzCASsf1BRH93_t6yq6Rw6VulV00/w426-h640/DSC00941.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZnmqfdZja8XOhVtJzK2XBKOsA3Q4EwLkacjp5aJc0UQbEG-zsj4Uss3douTvfifDWcrGMUoX5BVrpceJZ5Ib3aECjsE3Q8hOdg-WIVv9iY2wDeAH11D_5oOl8hNl-TGDqHoz6qLKug8/s6000/DSC00942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZnmqfdZja8XOhVtJzK2XBKOsA3Q4EwLkacjp5aJc0UQbEG-zsj4Uss3douTvfifDWcrGMUoX5BVrpceJZ5Ib3aECjsE3Q8hOdg-WIVv9iY2wDeAH11D_5oOl8hNl-TGDqHoz6qLKug8/w640-h426/DSC00942.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVeBvYfCQ5lHBZkh8DHtJfolY97zYhOaSjBDee4OlQoJFM4FMF7Y18k8r0pne85545kBe9rIOeYvlVvzXhY6ajMGkJ8I4dZ3tOknjsIScaa-a9FgBl084Kntni5JXckF4gwBa3lOzudU/s6000/DSC00947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVeBvYfCQ5lHBZkh8DHtJfolY97zYhOaSjBDee4OlQoJFM4FMF7Y18k8r0pne85545kBe9rIOeYvlVvzXhY6ajMGkJ8I4dZ3tOknjsIScaa-a9FgBl084Kntni5JXckF4gwBa3lOzudU/w426-h640/DSC00947.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFehYge08c0FmmsjTiZF_TfTxWiKVw-NXEzTtEJLrFr8T-IWL2vWcWQHq6zIkqzPHIJHmVVQfr2t3vhvszGld_zz-X1bTQLUXa7HqyLMVf0l4YVVS6IonZJuUmkEPwqfhZq1dDq2hGcQ/s6000/DSC00949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFehYge08c0FmmsjTiZF_TfTxWiKVw-NXEzTtEJLrFr8T-IWL2vWcWQHq6zIkqzPHIJHmVVQfr2t3vhvszGld_zz-X1bTQLUXa7HqyLMVf0l4YVVS6IonZJuUmkEPwqfhZq1dDq2hGcQ/w426-h640/DSC00949.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e-ZCsDGC-zpw-lAqhOjv57yiMLs3AQE8OCvMoEGbp42aEVEnkhliFxn7COOuP0sHWEn6fltSOHSyjWfNHy1emvB66wE3YV0hbGMp48b_oYJHNHHYGSwgJoiBEqaGJX5QhcW5jyq9exw/s6000/DSC00951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e-ZCsDGC-zpw-lAqhOjv57yiMLs3AQE8OCvMoEGbp42aEVEnkhliFxn7COOuP0sHWEn6fltSOHSyjWfNHy1emvB66wE3YV0hbGMp48b_oYJHNHHYGSwgJoiBEqaGJX5QhcW5jyq9exw/w640-h426/DSC00951.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzA9X2vzywHrHisFfdFWxpbNhIKZ9OcY1Ashpp7w_e2NRiEu15DfTnxYqzj_Nwj6m-Ui6H8_4e8wdg8jOpXO1pJ-eFTHa0Z47a_aDJ03edNEt49bHHaJ4HwVHxs8ioyPphJtQkmytplZs/s2048/IMG_4761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzA9X2vzywHrHisFfdFWxpbNhIKZ9OcY1Ashpp7w_e2NRiEu15DfTnxYqzj_Nwj6m-Ui6H8_4e8wdg8jOpXO1pJ-eFTHa0Z47a_aDJ03edNEt49bHHaJ4HwVHxs8ioyPphJtQkmytplZs/w480-h640/IMG_4761.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No more than 5 minutes in my exceptional tour, did I let the guide go. It was just too hot to keep him in the sun for no money. But we did chat about why he was being so kind to me and how he knew so much. He really was the highlight of my morning, but I hate the heat and couldn't stay out there any longer. Back to my watered down americano and off to OKC.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHaH9kY3_2JYSHCR3Dum5gqNkux2RzimwDpwFO7eXFdPNxggjuDq2ROrPpBJnRzfZqvOsTIlAjs5-dKjaNDFJVpmzOQbROmxExsDjP0up-A7WT1xkEgrfys2GI1wk3mj8W9rpxlPPb2eI/s2048/IMG_4760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHaH9kY3_2JYSHCR3Dum5gqNkux2RzimwDpwFO7eXFdPNxggjuDq2ROrPpBJnRzfZqvOsTIlAjs5-dKjaNDFJVpmzOQbROmxExsDjP0up-A7WT1xkEgrfys2GI1wk3mj8W9rpxlPPb2eI/w640-h480/IMG_4760.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you were paying attention earlier, you might have read that I drove for 8 hours today. You also might have noticed that the above GPS estimates a 3 hour drive. "What happened?" you might ask. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, that's none of your business. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />No, I'm kidding. I drove for an hour, reached the border of Texas and Oklahoma, but did not get a picture of the sign because I was on the phone with my wife at the time and didn't think wildly pulling over on a narrow shoulder would sound good over the phone, so I played it cool like I didn't mind missing a picture of the "Welcome to Oklahoma" sign, even though it broke me a little bit. Oh and after I got of the phone, I was feeling really good and really awake and my americano was almost totally gone. So, I thought about a detour. Maybe something I'd researched before traveling. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Type type type into the GPS: <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Wichita_Mountains/about.html" target="_blank">Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge</a>. Only what really happened is I clicked a link I'd saved for myself in my calendar of "Sites to see", which I entitled "Bison Visitor's Center" which linked to 34.710644 -98.623426. These look like Dewey Decimals to me, but my GPS knew what to do, which was to add a 2 hour sidetrack to my day. I was feeling so awake!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2YdMzSxIfHvaBBiOvODSUNNGGZ1EMkVcSAKVPCLhF_PQ-RNhhDodrZtVfCBa8CviZm3UVPAcwngjmJHq2Sxr-WJMK-nzpVgZ5_pU1Qy8zcKqtAzaxDs-QBfH9Fh0LYS9wenqbds6RQU/s2048/ATAG6468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2YdMzSxIfHvaBBiOvODSUNNGGZ1EMkVcSAKVPCLhF_PQ-RNhhDodrZtVfCBa8CviZm3UVPAcwngjmJHq2Sxr-WJMK-nzpVgZ5_pU1Qy8zcKqtAzaxDs-QBfH9Fh0LYS9wenqbds6RQU/w640-h480/ATAG6468.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TyDQFL6UMiDFZzRc6cqq5ySVlk9RwiHtd_xPBsemFayUlGL3lffTDpPAVI4bDdw74dkp-gkycWrXYp78uX6nbIey1c6RggOC7KpvgfuZy6BpJrGMML2NycDUqFdoQpf-4jY4RtEbpWg/s6000/DSC00954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TyDQFL6UMiDFZzRc6cqq5ySVlk9RwiHtd_xPBsemFayUlGL3lffTDpPAVI4bDdw74dkp-gkycWrXYp78uX6nbIey1c6RggOC7KpvgfuZy6BpJrGMML2NycDUqFdoQpf-4jY4RtEbpWg/w640-h426/DSC00954.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ65Dgi54oRP2ReTpu7f9vjMtGZQkPsnzGkFL9B7RMhV_vN-OaFTmYFPZkL3MJZy07jHKanO1_-9KC-hb-HO76SYeEniSfez6lc9TS2Vwg8gR3pwkmLp7zS9FaILFpM_oMlF9m0-XhP-E/s6000/DSC00955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ65Dgi54oRP2ReTpu7f9vjMtGZQkPsnzGkFL9B7RMhV_vN-OaFTmYFPZkL3MJZy07jHKanO1_-9KC-hb-HO76SYeEniSfez6lc9TS2Vwg8gR3pwkmLp7zS9FaILFpM_oMlF9m0-XhP-E/w640-h426/DSC00955.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah. I didn't check that first. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's a good thing Bison don't really get a day off. Long story short, I got a map out of a box on the side of the road and promptly ignored it and drove the loops until I spotted some animal refugees. </div><div><br /></div><div>BOOM - Bison:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-zRBQqLnxXXhpvFWIjWL90cAPNma9LDty6yVxzbtOmkvHZwG7U1Yc0AR4j-_OUjZs8g4kTCPcGUQHQuc07Kq2WXHL3jTeXAko5SwEzfoYH-f_-b6grl05vmQPkgPXRaPCtUkVyjFS-4/s6000/DSC00976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-zRBQqLnxXXhpvFWIjWL90cAPNma9LDty6yVxzbtOmkvHZwG7U1Yc0AR4j-_OUjZs8g4kTCPcGUQHQuc07Kq2WXHL3jTeXAko5SwEzfoYH-f_-b6grl05vmQPkgPXRaPCtUkVyjFS-4/w640-h426/DSC00976.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>BOOM - These guys:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqIS29DFq-GgsIA8i0Nut5ItskpahJBs1U2qH2t6_2QNSqcXu2NHz-S8OosewyNGVpdCQkUHdNV9VvwtlQ1AOS1pLYhRPbtT_kOBr9cb3w8Mca0hfDMiwKgj_xL5jiFS7MWow54xB6L4/s6000/DSC00965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqIS29DFq-GgsIA8i0Nut5ItskpahJBs1U2qH2t6_2QNSqcXu2NHz-S8OosewyNGVpdCQkUHdNV9VvwtlQ1AOS1pLYhRPbtT_kOBr9cb3w8Mca0hfDMiwKgj_xL5jiFS7MWow54xB6L4/w640-h426/DSC00965.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSN8_Ma46LcpxvRT2-bRt20WMPQDC_nY9p4iJD6lcQuIHYln0G0sCmgtc1dCeNMjFP3R67IeygfXQv8Bq1lWl4RoxLcHiT1iHaIhjygzxWSyyD6Ud7TK8MIKGWGfBQ4X_jNxXIt86ujFU/s6000/DSC00968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSN8_Ma46LcpxvRT2-bRt20WMPQDC_nY9p4iJD6lcQuIHYln0G0sCmgtc1dCeNMjFP3R67IeygfXQv8Bq1lWl4RoxLcHiT1iHaIhjygzxWSyyD6Ud7TK8MIKGWGfBQ4X_jNxXIt86ujFU/w640-h426/DSC00968.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Small Boom: Prairie Dogs. So cute!</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vkLuSxuA_Uoe9ULSxh92Qc3Xa5pyePqgvDyjPA1B2np1RC7Wqsux0OzbIHuQ_MqzP3dKDp9bzBtHrzu8WgJS6SpTiFPXX9SZfiLqJMCn2P_EXhGkA6d4lRD7AOx1wE_-g7sRKWQ2lxk/s6000/DSC00985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vkLuSxuA_Uoe9ULSxh92Qc3Xa5pyePqgvDyjPA1B2np1RC7Wqsux0OzbIHuQ_MqzP3dKDp9bzBtHrzu8WgJS6SpTiFPXX9SZfiLqJMCn2P_EXhGkA6d4lRD7AOx1wE_-g7sRKWQ2lxk/w640-h426/DSC00985.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpRPqCpDRy4OMI9AXl4psl_PDx5wvly_cfCoxgI-4WGQndxgjzF2ID3eUEKKr6Xcr1Re2j0X0UdneJnG94rvzFBT5Ht-QGFemA9hNGuCA5lkBeKXrCYgP9z7QOq90wYZqBLWxdk1iJkY/s6000/DSC00989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpRPqCpDRy4OMI9AXl4psl_PDx5wvly_cfCoxgI-4WGQndxgjzF2ID3eUEKKr6Xcr1Re2j0X0UdneJnG94rvzFBT5Ht-QGFemA9hNGuCA5lkBeKXrCYgP9z7QOq90wYZqBLWxdk1iJkY/w640-h426/DSC00989.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZIX7cPmFYc" target="_blank">Alan! Alan! Al! Alan!</a></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeu_pPnt1A-SvhxoAj4-nfOoNVuO8MnUedfbjGLySgUG3xhmDglMWSBEJbdT_LhxWNcPPbTaX8BpNHlECwpc7xfHz8XCHILy1AGPAR2grDKAXLbymgUuc89B4OCM85Nt3Lg2-UDCpi_E/s6000/DSC00990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeu_pPnt1A-SvhxoAj4-nfOoNVuO8MnUedfbjGLySgUG3xhmDglMWSBEJbdT_LhxWNcPPbTaX8BpNHlECwpc7xfHz8XCHILy1AGPAR2grDKAXLbymgUuc89B4OCM85Nt3Lg2-UDCpi_E/w640-h426/DSC00990.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZIX7cPmFYc" target="_blank">Steve. That's Steve. </a></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJorIWSq1Xw3HXjxAQKudw_ENB2DfbtsRkapMZ3p9OZ_ZC3_n2OZ9kuNyYzBnWEbpwV8fMo44SYUBSaIF33ie8lKpDDEEz30WCp1ttjrhNjKP1I_hNQVEYlwkR8TL3cpuPNe4g0sPBI0/s6000/DSC00991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJorIWSq1Xw3HXjxAQKudw_ENB2DfbtsRkapMZ3p9OZ_ZC3_n2OZ9kuNyYzBnWEbpwV8fMo44SYUBSaIF33ie8lKpDDEEz30WCp1ttjrhNjKP1I_hNQVEYlwkR8TL3cpuPNe4g0sPBI0/w640-h426/DSC00991.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>More of these guys! Hook 'em horns!</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicM8_s30k__4DdEVMole2UpJz6C216fvSf3nZwiaQUkSCjRBYzzrWIc0P1I0b4ZGR-1MYsgGksko6ikFxfhpkU12E-t8cpBW0zBU3iFLFuWPBC-F6O-gLS-5tqfrIcbwStz2vDdf9jNmo/s6000/DSC00996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicM8_s30k__4DdEVMole2UpJz6C216fvSf3nZwiaQUkSCjRBYzzrWIc0P1I0b4ZGR-1MYsgGksko6ikFxfhpkU12E-t8cpBW0zBU3iFLFuWPBC-F6O-gLS-5tqfrIcbwStz2vDdf9jNmo/w640-h426/DSC00996.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdseZ3HGM8FU9HZc962S_FFdcbHmV8AfyDcm0t-QWxKP0gYyFq_lkkJYT2A40CD54tMXvzfOHJJdXMvxpkT_uyXvS93uYL5xTW-MdBxydwecEOFR8kq18FC_elAcFqjguUGcQn8407RY/s6000/DSC01000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdseZ3HGM8FU9HZc962S_FFdcbHmV8AfyDcm0t-QWxKP0gYyFq_lkkJYT2A40CD54tMXvzfOHJJdXMvxpkT_uyXvS93uYL5xTW-MdBxydwecEOFR8kq18FC_elAcFqjguUGcQn8407RY/w640-h426/DSC01000.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Needless to say, I was super excited to see all of this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_on_the_Range" target="_blank">free roaming wildlife</a> (how American)! I took way too many pictures of Prairie Dogs and really need to figure out how to turn the beeping off on this camera because every time I focused it was like BEEP and then click or like BEEP and then another BEEP and all the animals were like "This chick doesn't know how to turn off the beep. Noob."</div><div><br /></div><div>By this time, my americano was no longer kicking and I was starting to get a little sleepy. Beep bop boop into my GPS "Oklahoma City please" and she said, "That'll be two more hours on the road. Would you like the sleepiest, grasslandiest, sometimes corn, sometimes just dirt option? Because that's what you're going to get."</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxetku6rom9l5l9G6QCm3NaOU7ZiiH9i2SVDmh3u3jugOXXUCreQtsOyNAs7jaIhrpbqV-G9kgZCsxlTivHUm0jb3iuQoyuTRHBGG2hZh3eRn_yRjE2BfcF1tVQlbS-F6KlWYW3mK09aU/s2048/IMG_4794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxetku6rom9l5l9G6QCm3NaOU7ZiiH9i2SVDmh3u3jugOXXUCreQtsOyNAs7jaIhrpbqV-G9kgZCsxlTivHUm0jb3iuQoyuTRHBGG2hZh3eRn_yRjE2BfcF1tVQlbS-F6KlWYW3mK09aU/w640-h480/IMG_4794.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>So, after roughly 8 hours of driving, when I planned on 3ish, I needed a little self care time. I checked into my LOVELY hotel and ordered room service before she even told me my room number. I put on Twister (filmed in Oklahoma), devoured a DELICIOUS flank steak, grits and greens and had one (or more) gin 'n jams, which were surprisingly refreshing. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyHMH_QGjsfpN8F9icIplmUmkUazz1DxeG8Amnl7rj6OwrE5GxUr5egnKEDEI3bCuV-SNpWl6bJxWfxqm_x4hiVqacOit7EV-D_Ph5H7kDyyxyeRx8rnuPZZn-tpCseDUbaWG3aPdOF0/s2048/IMG_4805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyHMH_QGjsfpN8F9icIplmUmkUazz1DxeG8Amnl7rj6OwrE5GxUr5egnKEDEI3bCuV-SNpWl6bJxWfxqm_x4hiVqacOit7EV-D_Ph5H7kDyyxyeRx8rnuPZZn-tpCseDUbaWG3aPdOF0/w480-h640/IMG_4805.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Q54yv5RJDHbLdLUfM496XyertpVRFqfeiCjg8tlkw5KYVFa-soICAQhXHml37ohgayxg99Ql2onqJUE7w_XRHd0hdku2rETE738E7-J7B52YSgfgiNvBVl2i-cqzlMISqi-d4nIbB7c/s2048/WESN7365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Q54yv5RJDHbLdLUfM496XyertpVRFqfeiCjg8tlkw5KYVFa-soICAQhXHml37ohgayxg99Ql2onqJUE7w_XRHd0hdku2rETE738E7-J7B52YSgfgiNvBVl2i-cqzlMISqi-d4nIbB7c/w480-h640/WESN7365.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>I will sleep well tonight!</div></div></div></div>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-77843741609650195032021-07-31T18:35:00.001-07:002021-08-02T08:02:15.543-07:00SFO > DAL <p>Long time no travel, huh guys?</p><div style="text-align: left;">My mom told me to write a blog while on this trip, so that's the main reason I'm putting this down. But also, on the flight, I started listening to "Broken" by Jenny Lawson and she says she writes because she can't remember and I want to be reminded, if I can't recall.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Skipping all of my feelings on COVID for the moment, I will say that I have been on one trip in the last 17 months - to Disneyland when masks were still cool (mandated) and I felt as safe as an on-the-verge-of-agoraphobic-person might.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My work has been gracious and accommodating enough to keep us all afloat and working remotely for the duration, but plans are changing and they will likely want us in the office come September (though I'm sure they will play it by ear and listen to science and who knows what exactly will happen). But with this looming return to the office, I felt an incredible urge to take advantage while the COVID numbers were low(ish) and work from another place for a week. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I had reserved myself two vacation days in August, assuming I would take a long weekend somewhere, but in the end decided to travel the weekend prior, work M-W from a hotel and then drive around, explore, etc Thur-Sun. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Where to go, I asked myself, and then pulled up Google Maps and zoomed out until I could see all of the US. I've done this a number of times in the past. Spinning the globe, as it were, and picking a place at random to travel. Norway, Iceland, Barcelona, Ireland. And Europe is always my first choice (sorry Australia) because there are so many different countries and personalities to check out. I'm still not ready for Europe yet and, honestly, I don't know if Europe wants me/Americans right now. So, I limited my dreaming to the US and tried to come up with a place that I REALLY wanted to visit, but that no one else did. I say "REALLY" because if I'm going to break out of my anxiety to get on a plane with strangers and see a new city that I don't trust at all (I only trust my own house at the mo'), I better REALLY want to go.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Friends and family offered ideas. Go to Utah, see Arches and Zion. Go to Savanah. Go to North Carolina. I had my own ideas. Maybe Minnesota or Wisconsin. I <i>sort of </i>wanted to go there and do want to see all 50 states some day (I've already been to 36, but who's counting). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the end, I decided on Oklahoma City. But WHY, I hear you ask. I'll summarize.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I watched <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/mick_cornett_how_an_obese_town_lost_a_million_pounds?language=en" target="_blank">this TED talk in 2013</a> and found it entertaining and interesting. </li><li>I liked the TV show <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saving_Grace_(TV_series)">Saving Grace</a>, which was based in Oklahoma City</li><li>I really wanted to be myself again and do something off-the-wall that no one would understand. I find joy in being the oddball traveler. </li></ul><div>So, that brings us up to today. My wife drove me to SFO airport, where I flew first class (it was only $100 more than economy and had NO frills other than a single window seat) to Dallas, TX. "Wait, I thought you were going to Oklahoma City." Didn't you just see me say that I'm the oddball traveler? If I'm going to spend 9 days away from home, I'm going to make it worth it and having a connecting flight is not my idea of a good time. Driving 3 1/2 hours to OKC after a night in a <a href="https://www.warwickhotels.com/warwick-melrose-dallas" target="_blank">fancy pants hotel in Dallas</a> sounds just like the slow adventure I'm looking for. All I hope to see tomorrow are fields and maybe an antelope or something. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I booked the tickets, which was only a few weeks ago, all COVID numbers were so low they were comforting. BUT that pesky Delta variant had to rear its ugly head and start spreading itself all about. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now, you know I live in California where we like to wear masks even when vaccinated and "save grandma" by not spreading COVID. We're liberal as hell and, to me, that means having a ridiculous amount of empathy for others. I knew I'd be coming from hippyland and that maybe this part of the country wouldn't be on the same page. But I did not expect to go into a restaurant to pick up my dinner and not see one mask. I did not expect to check into my hotel, which has a bustling lobby and bar with live music, and not see ONE mask. I'm confused by this, but mostly just curious. What are Texans hearing that they feel masks are not...what's the word...valuable? Are they right? Are we too cautious? I mean, I'd rather be overly cautious than not, but I also realize this is MY decision and everybody can do what they want. No one gave me funny looks, so I'm going to keep putting that thin cloth over my face on this trip and the locals can do what the locals want to do.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I'm going to tell one funny story and then sign off for the night. I hope in the next couple of days I can convince you (and myself) that OKC is kind cool and maybe worth a visit. I hope you enjoy my evening ramblings.</div><div><br /></div><div>--------</div><div><br /></div><div>Storytime:</div><div><br /></div><div>I landed in Dallas at 5pm. It was 99 degrees out. I picked up a rental car, some dinner and checked into my hotel, giving my car to the valet. After I had a bite, I realized that I only had 8oz of water with me (courtesy of Alaska Airlines) and definitely needed more, given the heat! I looked on Google Maps (a really helpful tool) and saw that two blocks away was a Wine, Spirits and More shop, so I changed into shorts and flip flops and started walking. The shop was on the same side of the road as the hotel, the shady side, but the sidewalk was closed and blocked by a very tall fence. Still there seemed to be enough room on the grass and dirt between the road and the fence to walk and not get hit by a car. I quickly realized that the tree roots were not flip flop friendly, or broken glass, but I managed to go slow and not sprain an ankle or get sliced.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I reached the shop, gently glistening from the 90+ degree heat, I was sad to find the door was not on the street side, but rather around back near the parking lot. Not that big a deal, but I don't like being hot and <i>just didn't wanna</i> (imitates a toddler's fit). The place was BEAUTIFULLY air conditioned and I could have stayed in there all day. There must have been 50 customers (no masks) and 10 employees (no masks). I took a lap and decided that I should also have some gin for my troubles and picked up a small bottle for the week. I could not find water. I did make eye contact with a lovely older gentleman who worked there and asked, "Do you have water?" He was slightly surprised. I mean, who goes to "Wine, Spirits and More" for H2O? He took me to a walk-in freezer and pointed at a case of water. There were no single bottles available. I thought, "Well, I will need a lot of water during the trip and it is hot and OKC is in the 90's too. Sure, I'll take a case." When I went to pick it up by the plastic on the side of the case, it ripped a healthy strip of plastic right off, dropping the case on the ground. I hadn't done enough damage to loosen any bottles, so I picked up the case in my arms like a heavy, squirming child and somehow also gripped the gin in my fist. By the time I got to the cashier, I realized that I have to carry this half broken, heavy ass case of water back over the tree roots and shards of glass. But I talked myself up. "You got this! You're strong and capable and it's only 2 blocks." I made my purchased and head outside.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thank goodness the cashier gave me a plastic bag with a handle to hold the gin. I looped that around my wrist and hefted the case of water onto my shoulder. I started walking, feeling very confident and thankful that the water had been in that super cold room. That was going to help get me back to the hotel and not die of heat. And that's when two water bottles fell out of the case and hit the ground. Ok, so I had to stop, pick up the bottles, which I put in the plastic bag (awesome) and repositioned the case on my shoulder long ways up, so the spot where I tore the plastic was facing the sky. By the time I reached the street (remember the door was near the parking lot), I was no longer glistening but damp and panting a little. I took my mask off of one ear to let in hang off my left ear, so I could get fresher, yet humid, air. </div><div><br /></div><div>Slowly, I walked over the tree roots and avoided the broken glass. I switched shoulders with the water and flung the bag of gin all around, but kept it all together. I just had to cross a small alley to get to the next sidewalk. Unfortunately, my mask, which had been looped around my ear, came a little loose, threatening to fall off. So, while crossing the street with case of water on one shoulder, bag of gin and bottles of water looped around a wrist, I tilted my head at a ridiculous angle to try to hold onto the mask with my ear (I don't know if you've ever tried to use ear muscles, but it isn't that successful). When I reached the next sidewalk, which was on the corner of the hotel, I had to stop at the bus stop and rearrange everything. By this time, I'm pouring sweat, putting the mask back on, and not looking forward to dragging my white trash ass through the lobby of this fancy hotel. I walk passed some country-club looking people and had the most brilliant idea of my life. I asked the Valet to put the case of water in my trunk (since they had my car and I had two bottles of water in the bag). She was lovely and accommodating and now I was flying high that I wouldn't have to walk through the lobby with a case of water on my shoulder. </div><div><br /></div><div>I went to open the door to the lobby and it just sort of wobbled, but didn't open. I tried the other door. Also wobbled. I turned around and saw a guest of the hotel and said, "Am I broken?" Which must have seemed like a fair question, considering I just gave a case of water to the valet, was pouring sweat and couldn't open a door. But he was nice and said he had the same problem earlier, and that the door sticks. Finally I made it in and up to my room, where I stripped off my drenched clothes and stood directly under the ceiling fan drinking an entire bottle of water. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-65249552973373676312018-08-07T15:36:00.002-07:002018-08-08T11:55:43.680-07:00How would it feel to have Shingles?Let me set the scene.<br />
<br />
It's two days before your 40th birthday. You are just getting to work, excited because you have weekend plans to fly to another state and celebrate your big 4-0 with friends! A good friend already flew there. Your flights are booked (with upgraded seats). The Airbnb is booked. Rollerskating and other fun activities are planned. But something is wrong. A strange pain in your ribs. It started this morning and felt like you had a sunburn that had been scratched. You looked in the mirror to check for a bug bite or scratch, but there was nothing. When you got to work an hour later, you walked straight to the bathroom, because it felt worse and worse and there you see it. Two blotchy spots of a rash.<br />
<br />
And this was my exact experience on July 19th. I made a doctor's appointment for 2:30pm and opened an incognito window to Google "Shingles". It sure seemed like it might be shingles but I was holding out hope that it was nothing serious and I could still go to Seattle.<br />
<br />
From the time I got to work to the Dr's appointment, the skin on my ribs hurt more and more. I could not find a comfortable position to sit in that didn't irritate the skin. I will explain the sensation more later.<br />
<br />
I explained to the doctor what I was feeling and that I thought it might be shingles. Before she looked at it, she winced with a face full of sympathy and said, "Yeah, it's probably shingles." And it was. She asked when I noticed the rash, because if you treat it with anti-viral medication in the first couple of days, you might be able to reduce the duration. Typical duration is 3-5 WEEKS! I was able to tell her that I actually looked this morning, saw nothing, and looked again around 10am and saw the rash. I took my first dose within 8 hours of identifying it. More on the anti-virals later. Spoiler Alert: they suck.<br />
<br />
Let me test something out in the spirit of my "How would it feel" experiment. I have these questions in mind.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Before: What did I think it would feel like?</li>
<li>Before: What did I think I would get out of it?</li>
<li>During: What did it actually feel like?</li>
<li>During: What surprised me?</li>
<li>After: What did I get out of it that I was/wasn't expecting?</li>
</ul>
Beforehand, I did not know what the shingles were. I felt like it was something for the elderly and was in the butt area. (Just being real folks). I never thought about shingles in my life. I never expected to get them and never heard of anyone having them.<br />
<br />
During: What surprised me was how uncomfortable shingles are, which leads me to what did it actually feel like. With that, I want to address physical and emotional feelings.<br />
<br />
Let's start with the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/symptoms-causes/syc-20353054" target="_blank">Mayo Clinic's Explanation of Shingles</a>. Any quote in this blog comes from this website.<br />
<br />
Let me answer you the two questions EVERYONE asked me. How did you get it and is it contagious?<br />
<br />
The shingles virus is the same as the chickenpox virus. "After you've had the chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles." If you have shingles, you can give the chickenpox to someone who has never had it. It is recommended that you stay away from little kids, pregnant women or adults who have never had chickenpox. You cannot spread shingles. Therefore, you cannot catch shingles. It just pops up one day like an unexpected, uninvited, unwelcome, down right rude house guest. And the house is your body.<br />
<br />
The physical sensation is nearly indescribable and I think that's why every damned website out there has this sentence, "Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash." I don't know about you, but "painful rash" to me elicits zero, nothing, no ideas. I don't know what a painful rash would be. I've had itchy rashes. That's what rashes do, right?<br />
<br />
But it's not the shingles rash that was the problem for me. It's the fact that this is nerve related. Your skin hurts. Because it is nerve related, the pain radiates away from the source (the rash or nerves near the rash). The best analogy I could come up with: It is like a painful purple sunburn. There is no way to sit comfortably and if anything touches it, even air, the nerves light up like little tiny electric waves of discomfort. At times, it feels like you're being poked/stabbed with electrified needles one at a time. Sometimes, it feels like you're having chills, but instead of it being chills of cold air, it's chills of pain over the rash.<br />
<br />
When I saw the doctor, she warned me that the rash would spread from my two little spots and boy was she right. Within 3 days, the rash spread across my ribs on the right side of my body and around the back to my spine. The rash band was about 3 inches wide. I also told her that my pain intensity, on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (hospital pain), was a 3 or 4. This would increase to a 7 or 8 within days.<br />
<br />
When I got home that night, a Thursday, I knew this was going to be bad. I cancelled my trip to Seattle and ended up spending my shingle-y birthday at my friend's house (who flew back from Seattle early to host my sad birthday). I ended up curled up in a ball most of the time and eventually just took a nap in her spare room before going home. I did have macrons though, which were delicious (Thanks Krista!).<br />
<br />
Now I will explain my decline.<br />
<br />
I started taking the anti-viral pills as soon as I could. Three pills a day for ten days. But these were the biggest pills I'd ever seen, no exaggeration. I knew I'd never be able to swallow them whole. I have a hard enough time with things like Advil. The first night, I cut the pills into quarters and swallowed them down. The next day, at some point one of the pieces was maybe too big or too sticky, but got caught in my throat. My throat seized on it and I bent over to try to cough it out, but had no air, so I sort of puked it up. There was no vomit, it wasn't a puke from my stomach, but just my throat pushed that little pill out into the sink. And because I knew I needed to get that pill inside me for fear of having shingles longer, I popped that sucker back in my mouth and choked it down. But this started a psychological spiral. I believed I couldn't swallow these pills and soon enough I really couldn't. I had a few more episodes of choking on very small portions of the pill before I decided to crush them and eat them in applesauce, which was bitter and disgusting. I ended up, over the next 9 or 10 days, figuring out a ritual/formula that worked for me. Crush, crush, crush, applesauce WITH JAM, eat it as fast as possible, don't chew and done!<br />
<br />
I was determined to take all of these pills, but I found out soon enough that I was having a bad side effect. The anti-viral pills were activating the nerve pain and spreading it from my hips to mid-chest and down my arms to my wrists. At it's worst, I couldn't move without agony and just shut my eyes, covered up with a blanket and tried to sleep it off.<br />
<br />
Through all of this, Advil helped. And thank God, my brain believed that I could swallow Advil. And I could.<br />
<br />
So, the pain was bad, but worse than that the pain was constant. (I'm nearly three weeks in as I write this and am still uncomfortable - level 2 or 3 pain at most.) The constant pain, even if wavering between a level 3 to a level 8 to a level 4 was exhausting and drove me up the wall. Having no relief was unbearable. I could not calm my mind about it. All I thought about was how uncomfortable I was and how I could not find a good position to sit or lay. I could not swallow pills. I felt like this would go on forever. I spun out and became sad, anxious, more anxious and more anxious.<br />
<br />
When I was at my original Dr's appointment, I asked her, "Do you have anything for the stress?" Let me say that I do NOT like taking pills. I do not want to need anti-anxiety meds and am by no means a pill seeker, but my stress level was at a new high this year. It felt like a prolonged stress too. I had a bad, bad flu first thing in January, visited my folks in April, then I had my wedding and honeymoon in June, a weekend trip to Cleveland to visit 40 relatives, and my 40th birthday in July. Even if it was "good stress" like traveling or a wedding, it still stresses the body. The Doc gave me Lorazepam, which took the edge off during those particularly terrible days. (CBD Oil also helped *legal in CA)<br />
<br />
Getting back to my question: What surprised me? The whole thing! I didn't expect to get shingles. I didn't expect the type of pain or the duration. But it's not over yet. I went for a follow up appointment on Monday (yesterday) and my doc said I have about another 10 days of this before I'm back to myself.<br />
<br />
I think it's still too "during" to talk about the "after" of this horrible experiment, so stay tuned.<br />
<br />
And if this was boring or gross, just wait. The subjects of these posts will change (and be more positive).<br />
<br />sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-30717563410726827282018-08-05T18:45:00.001-07:002021-07-31T18:35:33.716-07:00This is 40: My Year of Experiments<span style="font-size: large;">Hi everybody. I know this was a travel blog for my major trips, but I'm thinking about doing an experiment. Or rather, a year worth of experiments.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">When I was in my 20s, a friend of mine did a project for herself where she took a picture of her bed every morning for a year. I did 365 days of happiness (more on this later).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It feels like ages since I've had a year-long project.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Now that I am 40 (hopefully twice as good as my 20th year), I am thinking about doing a year's worth of experiments with the premise “What would it feel like if…?”. The thought being that, for a year, I would run experiments for different lengths of time (weekly, monthly, etc) testing things out <u>to see how it feels</u>. Here are some examples of what I’m thinking.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like if I used lotion for a month</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like if I had shingles for a month (THIS experiment happened without my provocation)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like if I took Gabapentin for two weeks?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like if I took an antiviral for 10 days?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like if I walked to BART rather than drove to BART for a month?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like if I cut out processed foods for a month?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like if I did push-ups every night before bed for a month?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would It feel like if I made a personal phone call every day for a month?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like if I sent a postcard every day for a month?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like if I meditated for 20 minutes everyday for a month?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like if I flossed everyday for a month?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like if I focused on looking up or looking down?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What would it feel like to watch a Khan Academy video everyday?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My idea is to ask a question and document it. Say what I feel beforehand, what I expect to feel during, and what I feel afterwards. What are the changes I noticed? What are the changes I expected but didn’t notice? Do I want to continue something to extend the duration of x benefit?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Just by thinking "how would it feel", I’m already noticing a change. I've had to open my mind to come up with "experiments" that I don’t already do now, that I’d be willing to try, that I believe will have positive outcomes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This reminds me of the 100 Days of Happiness phenomenon. I was feeling down in the dumps and decided to post one good thing a day on Facebook for 100 days. I thought it would be nice to find at least <b>something</b> good everyday. What I didn't expect is that by looking for something good everyday, I ended up looking for something good ALL THE TIME. And even after I posted a good thing, I'd keep looking for an even better thing. When the 100 days were up, I decided to extend it to a full year because my overall happiness had increased tremendously since day one and I didn't want it to stop.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Side note: Bad things happened during those 365 days. A good friend passed away. My grandmother passed away. Coming up with something happy on those days was hard, but HAVING to find something good those days was mood altering. Instead of wallowing in sadness, looking for only sad things, I had to (if only for a few minutes) broaden my mind and look for something good. "I had a root beer today" was one of those posts. It didn't turn my whole day around, but it might have stopped the slippery slope into depression. Knowing that I could find happiness in very dark times was and continues to be valuable.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Coming back to the year-long experiment...I feel like even the act of thinking up experiments has opened my mind. It makes me think <b>how many things</b> can I do that are new and how many experiences I was going to have anyway would be enhanced by asking the question "How would this make me feel" or "what can I gain from this?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Krista and I booked tickets to travel to Yellowstone and now I’m asking the question "How would it feel to camp for five days?" I know when I camped for two days my level of cleanliness decreased, because you just get used to being dirty. I know that my mind slowed down, because I didn't need to do <b>something</b> every five minutes. What else will I learn?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">If nothing else, this mindset is the experiment. How aware can I be this year? What can I learn from being so aware and from trying new things? What will surprise me?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm open to it. I'm up for it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">If you are too, feel free to follow along.</span><br />
<br />sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-51651643460160036782017-12-19T16:41:00.000-08:002017-12-19T16:41:18.790-08:002017 going on 2018<span style="font-size: large;">Things I've learned in the last year or so (in no particular order):</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">If I blog on a vacation, I never get around to writing about the last day of the trip.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">My metabolism has officially given out, teaching me that loose shirts are a wonderful and flattering thing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Disneyland can help you recover from mild depressive episodes brought on by politics, news and/or celebrity death.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Iceland is not always freezing, but it doesn't typically get hotter than 70 degrees F.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Norway is full of trees, generally beautiful and has an amazingly long coastline.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I should always read the price of a hotel room thoroughly. "Per person" is a nasty thing to find out later.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Holding on tight to bad feelings, in the hopes of squashing them into nothing, will not make you feel better. Letting go is a much smarter option.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Settlers of Catan is a fantastic game. So is Ticket to Ride, Stratego and Exploding Kittens (I'm still not sure about Bears vs Babies).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">As I get older, my body starts to feel worse in strange ways (numb/tingling limbs for one). Physical therapy is a life saver, but I need to maintain a strict practice of strength and flexibility training so I can extend my "good years" as long as possible.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I am officially allergic to cold medicine (dextromethorphan) and even if I use alternative remedies to clear my stuffy nose, it will only make it worse over the course of the cold.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Sudafed is my savior when I'm sick.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I love my job. I love it so much that I find ways to do the same work in my personal life.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Asking, "Why am I this way," is maybe the wrong question. "How can I be better?" is more forward thinking. The past got me here, but is not worth giving valuable "now" energy.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Reading is so important. I read only two books this year and though I listened to many, many interesting audio books, there is nothing like reading to give you focus, open your mind, teach you new words, expand your imagination, distract you from yourself or general crap (Facebook, news, fake news, etc.)...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">For the fluffiest, yummiest scrambled eggs add salt to the raw eggs for 10 minutes before cooking, also add milk for creaminess and cook on a low/medium heat.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">It's the sugar in crepe batter that makes them brown up real nice.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">QVC is a lovely, mindless (yet entertaining) thing to leave on in the background and they stream three channels.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Index Funds are a good thing to invest in.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">In my 20's, I generally hung out with my two closest male friends (affectionately known as "the boys"). In my 30's, most of them anyway, I spent a lot of time alone or trying to be alone with the occasional female friend here and there. Now that I'm rounding out my 30's, I'm spending a lot more time saying "yes" to friend-time and "yes" to being friends with women. I don't know what I'm learning from that yet, but it feels a lot more collaborative, supportive, soul quenching (does that sound right?).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I enjoy Bordeaux or Cotes du Rhone.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I enjoy gin gimlets on the rocks or straight up with lemon syrup and sage.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">You can have 40lb boxes of cat litter delivered to your house with free delivery (if you have Amazon Prime) and save your back the pain of lugging it around the store or in and out of your car.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Cupping may leave bruises on your back that look like constellations, but it's worth it!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Also worth it, spending $100 to fly to Portland, Seattle or LA to catch up with good/old friends for the weekend.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I miss writing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I am a pretty good dancer, especially in the kitchen.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Camping is great, when everybody splits ownership of meals and the weather is perfect.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">And finally -- I love talking to strangers. Hearing their life story in an hour or two. The highlights or low lights they chose to share. Love it!</span></li>
</ul>
sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-16724569675617891942017-09-26T15:00:00.001-07:002017-09-26T15:03:53.071-07:00Northern Lights - Day 8 1/2<a href="http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">This is the website we've been checking every day!</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I recommend you click on the link above. This is the aurora borealis (or Northern Lights) forecast for Iceland. It is complicated to read. Let me simplify. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">There is a general outline of Iceland (the picture with white and green). White means no cloud cover, green means a lot of cloud cover. Below that is a sliding scale of day and time. When you adjust the day and time, the "aurora forecast" on the right may change. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Kp scale (estimated activity level) is from 0-9. The activity level is a combination of how probable and/or active the lights may be. If it's a 0, stay in bed. If it's a 2 or 3, you should probably look outside. If it's a 4+, maybe run outside and start looking up!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">For most of the trip (and we've been checking since Norway), it's been at 0 aka minimum. Upon arriving in Iceland, the numbers have been creeping up slowly. And they do change quite often. Still, mostly it's been a 1 or 2, tops.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The first few days of our trip were shrouded in storms with rain and clouds. Reykjavik for two days - 0. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Sauðafell Guesthouse - 1 or 2. We kept waking up in the middle of the night to look out our window. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Each day we travelled a little more north. Closer to prime viewing. On day 4 in Iceland, day 8 of our trip, we were at the Fosshotel Westfjords in Patreksfjörður. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Krista was checking the forecast hourly. To give you an idea of the weather that evening, here are pictures from our dinner table. These were taken over maybe 15 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAJ7XjUSbDuL1_0ATUAZHlc46VmAUDaB07T0EZPVOGhLMaBm4EwCORGuG3QFy8QD4jFbfjc0kXp6ejHXazv3D6Z_qJfnG7H2H-ZfUrDez6ay3Rbt09eYXodH61Y-jaoKGxqHdPDZ1zeI/s1600/received_10154933036162876.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAJ7XjUSbDuL1_0ATUAZHlc46VmAUDaB07T0EZPVOGhLMaBm4EwCORGuG3QFy8QD4jFbfjc0kXp6ejHXazv3D6Z_qJfnG7H2H-ZfUrDez6ay3Rbt09eYXodH61Y-jaoKGxqHdPDZ1zeI/s640/received_10154933036162876.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh wow, look at that cliff. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYMVvsc2j6JrxX5u3wU8XhEFG9W7KAXeQ7uSU7OmvVMF5hHKfDqFsq9bYnC-8asOQhJFNCaT3iCu93K1RexiJmrQyarUqYvERyDlLWzihctJ-aqXUmGAWiEiNYCaKHFICo-L1wdHoW60/s1600/received_10154933036212876.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYMVvsc2j6JrxX5u3wU8XhEFG9W7KAXeQ7uSU7OmvVMF5hHKfDqFsq9bYnC-8asOQhJFNCaT3iCu93K1RexiJmrQyarUqYvERyDlLWzihctJ-aqXUmGAWiEiNYCaKHFICo-L1wdHoW60/s640/received_10154933036212876.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where did that cliff go?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-8e1At9PvoLWuqfU64Jtmr5vd7jxTeP5oFMf5V1_8Y9DiJB7-MJlMFZoup9463x6EjQ4VbawG-rOoEcJYj8aRy1mUb55zISlV6YPPah79dK9lOeAUFiImJZAuku5lFQDPuT3uzJ2lRk/s1600/received_10154933036217876.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-8e1At9PvoLWuqfU64Jtmr5vd7jxTeP5oFMf5V1_8Y9DiJB7-MJlMFZoup9463x6EjQ4VbawG-rOoEcJYj8aRy1mUb55zISlV6YPPah79dK9lOeAUFiImJZAuku5lFQDPuT3uzJ2lRk/s640/received_10154933036217876.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh! It's back!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNtB7nrcQnyAX1Qfshg64DB7Exi1eT-HEswcGktAOItXnLKHOPB4xgtO-MzV2KgEAumUl7biFCD5kdqrVMr5bYszBGaI_BbUqDwYAnSpNPYoUU1SH9FE_AMBCxk8W19PKQOYTCyMdaU4/s1600/received_10154933036337876.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNtB7nrcQnyAX1Qfshg64DB7Exi1eT-HEswcGktAOItXnLKHOPB4xgtO-MzV2KgEAumUl7biFCD5kdqrVMr5bYszBGaI_BbUqDwYAnSpNPYoUU1SH9FE_AMBCxk8W19PKQOYTCyMdaU4/s640/received_10154933036337876.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JESUS! The sun just got CRAZY bright! And where's the dang cliff again!?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a time lapse.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzMsRfB47tuvwqNWRUPB7Lvnf-LGDXsYH8LkUdPiFwx505MSdpAdSw6SKJYfIqsXMruKpXTkw8U0zswsbNx5g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, like I said, Krista was checking the forecast kinda often. The sun set.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHudNP_A2fg3tBgkos-G8DkLqM1BZovMEG0frX2lZcQA_M0toCaEWoJGvcn5z_t08KGtL9IyoeezrHQ_Tf-xpVMmVJQibzaPyMaQ_xkEOCfjXGbKo_q8h0wtFDrEIwvFM72gjLDDQzBKs/s1600/received_10154933036367876.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHudNP_A2fg3tBgkos-G8DkLqM1BZovMEG0frX2lZcQA_M0toCaEWoJGvcn5z_t08KGtL9IyoeezrHQ_Tf-xpVMmVJQibzaPyMaQ_xkEOCfjXGbKo_q8h0wtFDrEIwvFM72gjLDDQzBKs/s640/received_10154933036367876.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Dinner was done, we'd had a LONG day of driving and hiking. Frankly, I was ready for sleep. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Quick side note (some of this will come in handy for tomorrow's blog post some of this is a useless, but possibly cute, story). We arrived to the hotel around 5pm. I was starving. We had not planned our lunch and ended up snacking a little throughout the day. Dinner at the restaurant didn't open until 6. I begged Krista to find another restaurant in the area that was open NOW for dinner. We took a short drive (like 6 minutes) around town, found two restaurants "closed for the season" and ended up back at the hotel for "happy hour", wasting time before dinner. --- Then dinner and pictures as seen above. --- We decided to step across the street to see the sunset (gorgeous).</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Somewhere between the rock wall across the street and hotel reception, we heard a strange noise, like plastic was falling out of my pockets. I checked. Keys, wallet, phone, mints (a staple in my life). Everything was there. Meh. And we went up to the room (time lapse as seen above). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wrote a blog entry for way too long and was totally ready for bed. We were in PJ's, ready to turn off the lights when Krista checked the forecast one more time. It showed a 3 and "moderate". She decided to look out the window. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, as you can see in the time lapse above we had a streetlight directly outside our window. Squinting beyond the light, Krista saw what looked like a small, opaque cloud...with a slightly green tint. "Uh, baby," she said, "could that be..." and with that we were throwing on every piece of clothing we owned. Waterproof pants, rain jackets, sweaters. I tucked at least two layers of clothing under my arm, grabbed my camera bag. We were like storm chasers in Twister (one of my all time favorite movies - don't judge me!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">OUT the door at 11:56pm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We jumped in the car to drive out of town, just in case this little green cloud in the sky turned into something. We desperately wanted to get away from the "city" lights. To give you perspective, we had to drive for 3 minutes to be in the dark. On the way, we passed a car parked on the side of the road with the driver and passenger standing next to their car staring into the sky! Great sign!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We got to a dark spot on the two lane road, found a pull off on the opposite side of the road and I turned around (at a turtle's pace) to park there, fearing that I might accidentally drive off a cliff to see some Northern Lights. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next five minutes were a blur for me. We jumped out of the car and sure enough, IT WAS HAPPENING! Krista, who can be reserved, was damned near yelling into the wind, "WOW! WHOA! WOW!" My problem was two fold.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1) The wind was blowing a gale of freezing wind right through my body because I was CARRYING my windbreaker and </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2) my camera, which, by the way, does not just automatically focus on green streaks of amazing lights spreading across the sky.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Krista told me to forget trying to take a picture and be in the moment, but I was on my way to getting hypothermia with that flipping wind. I could NOT focus on anything but my jacket. I felt like I was trying to slip one of those inflatable dancers on in the dark.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg419Xe5PSNykwgTpe0DrIj17yy13nbgZ4CTKhcZEL6u_i_tkvKGn1Rr041WcS92SC-0wwmbvlmX-Um_HFSOJg3d1utdqixhlgoDBNEFrmQc0zx4-Mug0GQ31QsfbsPzKWTmiNHYJJsmcg/s1600/skyfly-dancer-yellow2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg419Xe5PSNykwgTpe0DrIj17yy13nbgZ4CTKhcZEL6u_i_tkvKGn1Rr041WcS92SC-0wwmbvlmX-Um_HFSOJg3d1utdqixhlgoDBNEFrmQc0zx4-Mug0GQ31QsfbsPzKWTmiNHYJJsmcg/s640/skyfly-dancer-yellow2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once fully dressed and not about to freeze to death, I could settle into the moment and join the utterances of, "WOW! WHOA!!!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are no pictures of what we saw because you have to be a professional, or at least PREPARED.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don't know what I expected. Maybe a huge wall of light just like a cloud rolling in, but it's not like that. The light can start white and small and turn green (or other colors, but all we got was a spectacular green). Then like someone drawing with a thick sky-marker, the line spreads across the sky. Or the light spreads like spilled milk on a table. Green expanded across the sky and TOOK OVER. At one point, everywhere we looked was covered in the lights. We were leaning on the car, looking up, just gobsmacked and feeling SO LUCKY. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The lights dimmed and disappeared after a few minutes, so we escaped into the car for a little warmth, all the while looking out every window. Then a light would show up and we'd jump out of the car, making sure to HUG the car so we wouldn't fall off a cliff (when our eyes adjusted, we realized we had like 6 feet on every possible side of the car and it wasn't a cliff, but a slope...still scary in the dark!) We also got freaked out that we might not be alone out there in the dark. There are no preditors in Iceland but there can be sheep, horses, cows...that kind of thing. At one point, I flashed my iPhone's flashlight out into the wilderness and saw no glowing eyes, so I was feeling ok (later, I learned, Krista saw sheep eyes everywhere and it freaked her out).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were watching a new streaky batch of green, when from behind a cloud white lights turned up like a dimmer switch until a DANCING white campfire show was stealing our hearts. It faded and back to the green we looked. So strong and thick were the lights that I thought I could try the camera again. I pointed it to the sky (saw nothing), looked at the sky directly and we both saw a shooting star cross through the lights!!!!! We both nearly fell over, hooting and hollering, "DID YOU SEE THAT?!?!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few minutes later, it was all over. All up, I'd say we were out there for 20-30 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">SHOUT OUT to KRISTA! Thank you so much for checking the forecast one last time before bed. Without that, we would have slept through that miracle. </span>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-43290223665953011482017-09-25T14:57:00.003-07:002017-09-25T14:57:57.538-07:00Sauðafell Guesthouse to Fosshotel Westfjords in Patreksfjörður - Day 8<span style="font-size: large;">We woke up to an amazing view this morning! If last night's airbnb was as city as city gets in Iceland, this is as country as it gets.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Et9uuRdH3-Ndj91-vtOCnUYIUGx6hyphenhyphenABxMsoUsXt7YBFZgVxwsmlniac9THiMSXxuAIpc8W1J9UNeVjn02QhV_MQXbi9-oHXUr2fDdf_tQmIIILjN6wTDNZkQFGPJ-jiCshBK5mAYA0/s1600/received_10154929077997876.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Et9uuRdH3-Ndj91-vtOCnUYIUGx6hyphenhyphenABxMsoUsXt7YBFZgVxwsmlniac9THiMSXxuAIpc8W1J9UNeVjn02QhV_MQXbi9-oHXUr2fDdf_tQmIIILjN6wTDNZkQFGPJ-jiCshBK5mAYA0/s640/received_10154929077997876.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our Window</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My first thought was to be thankful that we stopped to have dinner before driving out here. Originally, we had toyed with the idea of driving to Saudafell and grabbing dinner at a local cafe or restaurant. Yeah...there's nothing out here.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqKju0vCP0BPkWTbyy7mfp48rOYH8m5IlZnOdhf15uPPPJmtIqmvQFEsieQbcxUQ3V3j0xOuIVOH08YszDFlhmdlRxF66CTzdqn1faP4Vtyg-Sy0MfJkuk1wkisE-Ks5CF31eNW6-dfg/s1600/received_10154929077917876.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqKju0vCP0BPkWTbyy7mfp48rOYH8m5IlZnOdhf15uPPPJmtIqmvQFEsieQbcxUQ3V3j0xOuIVOH08YszDFlhmdlRxF66CTzdqn1faP4Vtyg-Sy0MfJkuk1wkisE-Ks5CF31eNW6-dfg/s640/received_10154929077917876.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krista and her Blue Bottle coffee on the back porch, hanging with the local sheep</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkDBrhB7DCqdOc5hwhjAnp-M7jPcQEqD5bnoeDQXijMjS4aADuiJLucmu37R-jCPM0u4-1p-CaZnt2dWvUif8yXnNUrix7RxCAtnFTYscEBvHQ0C2XVeR76a4YX-yWB_2PZc46rL5eEU/s1600/SAM_6422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkDBrhB7DCqdOc5hwhjAnp-M7jPcQEqD5bnoeDQXijMjS4aADuiJLucmu37R-jCPM0u4-1p-CaZnt2dWvUif8yXnNUrix7RxCAtnFTYscEBvHQ0C2XVeR76a4YX-yWB_2PZc46rL5eEU/s640/SAM_6422.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheep!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You could hear sheep bleating near and far. They really started going when the rain kicked in. "Heeyeyey," they'd say, "Do you feel that?! It's Raaiaiain!" And a reply from the next farm, "Baaaah. Rain!" </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqln3hLIihB2fo8EEfv4hwgFSZ7aK6ikDNzrhBEg0CDzLyL99CODPD_OhshrB-AWQPL1q5vgSBxudVhpP_QtUB9xfraAG8pqo4LAaJ0xcL_YrPZkrkySdtLOKJeI9RjY_-jgAhyphenhyphen0WZCo/s1600/SAM_6427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqln3hLIihB2fo8EEfv4hwgFSZ7aK6ikDNzrhBEg0CDzLyL99CODPD_OhshrB-AWQPL1q5vgSBxudVhpP_QtUB9xfraAG8pqo4LAaJ0xcL_YrPZkrkySdtLOKJeI9RjY_-jgAhyphenhyphen0WZCo/s640/SAM_6427.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guesthouse and my rental car - dirty from the drive</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ahyca-EwZxh-m0_zZ8jl1rIP76fgGm9-j7Z9iin8495g6IhMUvHnvMBKNyDN8LN1u56zahJZRiuysutzRmRBP2MCqWxRJlVos_FznqJm1GIbHlww3tWZO4w07nOJZJjAX68UJY0MJFk/s640/SAM_6430.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cemetery on site. Family, to be sure.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ahyca-EwZxh-m0_zZ8jl1rIP76fgGm9-j7Z9iin8495g6IhMUvHnvMBKNyDN8LN1u56zahJZRiuysutzRmRBP2MCqWxRJlVos_FznqJm1GIbHlww3tWZO4w07nOJZJjAX68UJY0MJFk/s1600/SAM_6430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BPBM6qQWTdvVJtI0dLqd3O2syRlmuy3LZSNHbJ8sqckh2H8XLVXqL9K8cJIEeF0-JMQyGTi8wcfD3Fss04p_XLjnH740WivtwTn32XwlX3GYX4UUHWot-e6rIY4tN0o33vdokqe6ag0/s1600/SAM_6438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BPBM6qQWTdvVJtI0dLqd3O2syRlmuy3LZSNHbJ8sqckh2H8XLVXqL9K8cJIEeF0-JMQyGTi8wcfD3Fss04p_XLjnH740WivtwTn32XwlX3GYX4UUHWot-e6rIY4tN0o33vdokqe6ag0/s640/SAM_6438.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An honest to God sheepdog. He was trying to keep an eye on us.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qyEuyF3MQjek__0a50rzrf8ouCbIsCL2iehCT8kKdHOQ8VOnPnwVBlNG-3VXehrJxpzjx3-BNwF9kmW4q1XrUl1lDdloHO5CMg5QyUSXk0KwK4p7JOJ4PCNaP2MpvG_LBiX06koGWV8/s1600/SAM_6442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qyEuyF3MQjek__0a50rzrf8ouCbIsCL2iehCT8kKdHOQ8VOnPnwVBlNG-3VXehrJxpzjx3-BNwF9kmW4q1XrUl1lDdloHO5CMg5QyUSXk0KwK4p7JOJ4PCNaP2MpvG_LBiX06koGWV8/s640/SAM_6442.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ground mutton (sorry, it had to be said)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Breakfast consisted of bread, salami, cheese and fruit. Krista had yogurt and when making her coffee, poured some Mjolk in, expecting milk or cream. What she got was pouring yogurt! Aaaand then made a fresh coffee.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Being a guest house, there were about 10 other people in the house. There were five women traveling together from Reykjavik. The women from Iceland were very nice and of course spoke English perfectly, like everyone else. They asked where we were from. "Berkeley, California," we said. "Oh, there are two other women here from Sacramento!" They asked where we were going. "The Westfjords," we said. "Where are you going next," and I replied, "Fosshotel Westfjords." She said, "Which fjord, there are a lot of them." "Patreksfjordur." They were pleased. "Why did you choose to go to the Westfjords rather than go South to the Blue Lagoon and Golden Circle?" I said, "Well, we heard all the Californians were going down South so we decided to go North/West." They laughed, really got a kick out of that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then one of the women from Sacramento came down. She said she'd driven all around with her companion. The Iceland ladies said, "but you skipped the Westfjords." "No, I think we went there." And the ladies shook their head, "No." I found this amusing. The Sacramento lady also said she saw seals. "No." Great stuff!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We packed up and hit the road. The GPS predicted a 3 1/2 hour drive to our next destination. After last night's rough road experience, we did some snooping on the internet and found out which roads we'd be driving would be paved and which would be "gravel". Today's drive was mostly paved (phew). I still assumed it would take like 6 hours to get to our location.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Within 20 minutes, we saw this sign! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuw6Dy_dlgPoSy5XGSaI3mxDZw6SL6vW95el0PaY52nYLYxLwRenpGKl4W2mhoa3KrruCHnCAuSB839BPE5IHFH78TC-x1oLK6idG9RYoC2rtTG-lZDI2c3W5s9nSBjE4R2idWRzEqWw/s1600/SAM_6448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuw6Dy_dlgPoSy5XGSaI3mxDZw6SL6vW95el0PaY52nYLYxLwRenpGKl4W2mhoa3KrruCHnCAuSB839BPE5IHFH78TC-x1oLK6idG9RYoC2rtTG-lZDI2c3W5s9nSBjE4R2idWRzEqWw/s640/SAM_6448.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geothermal/Natural Hot Spring this way</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">My understanding is that the hot springs are free to the public and definitely on our bucket list. Of course we'd stop!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It was sprinkling with a light rain and was maybe 60 degrees out. Perfect for a dip in some nice warm water. We decided to jump all over this detour. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfDhx-u3ls02JplK6ercd9QnQhspK9OQG6XJa8YcL0IzpbpicTLhRGNJOsOrdoJD3ILYCxsKAvnZMGZSCn1smQdLD0RWZui_IGfVQDDOyYuTB_Jv7ZhCKFAhf8XBqde-UcffqYV7RzPc/s1600/IMG_9356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfDhx-u3ls02JplK6ercd9QnQhspK9OQG6XJa8YcL0IzpbpicTLhRGNJOsOrdoJD3ILYCxsKAvnZMGZSCn1smQdLD0RWZui_IGfVQDDOyYuTB_Jv7ZhCKFAhf8XBqde-UcffqYV7RzPc/s640/IMG_9356.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute little bridge to the changing room and hot spring</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoq-vryZcKzBQMnIuPml25IVslI6vt5ETFG8qxEYGTOCTsSYUjxrMsEXX18NBskt75IQho_L4FPOo9YlzQCRASvbyLEf1pLltEalXerhHcZN_EbV1cvMl8IZ3V_UuN8pcPG_j7lN4Aew/s1600/IMG_9357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoq-vryZcKzBQMnIuPml25IVslI6vt5ETFG8qxEYGTOCTsSYUjxrMsEXX18NBskt75IQho_L4FPOo9YlzQCRASvbyLEf1pLltEalXerhHcZN_EbV1cvMl8IZ3V_UuN8pcPG_j7lN4Aew/s640/IMG_9357.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krista soaking in the warmth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlvusGjGxJbZZg2ifD2e3ADqdqq8WXaf1adWrZiYTfih1pntAYxDOOq4m6vbyqAj67CgF43UvMU_5q1eK52AIsoFLAqsZGWdHNc9zgmaCItz1kc0QoDDz64f_l6ou8P3sXwu9RVG4n-I/s1600/IMG_9401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlvusGjGxJbZZg2ifD2e3ADqdqq8WXaf1adWrZiYTfih1pntAYxDOOq4m6vbyqAj67CgF43UvMU_5q1eK52AIsoFLAqsZGWdHNc9zgmaCItz1kc0QoDDz64f_l6ou8P3sXwu9RVG4n-I/s640/IMG_9401.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ICELAND, HOT SPRING, YES!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZwM4MGp7dLyGmRAsLVWRCdyHB2r_Iro8e4jY2oUHdDlLtiF0FhirSlAHmRUB9wgWXWy0a-WqQL9tml1zz4iK7IBcgfCH7V_wZKSduph38nye9Vydq4KumG_g-PNPXRrBAMJHW3ZVZWE/s1600/IMG_9476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZwM4MGp7dLyGmRAsLVWRCdyHB2r_Iro8e4jY2oUHdDlLtiF0FhirSlAHmRUB9wgWXWy0a-WqQL9tml1zz4iK7IBcgfCH7V_wZKSduph38nye9Vydq4KumG_g-PNPXRrBAMJHW3ZVZWE/s640/IMG_9476.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This little changing room made me feel like a hobbit<br />
and after the hot springs, I think I looked like one too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On we drove. The weather cleared up and we took advantage of the great lighting.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zg2oFg5csdK4gNMyAaBOeoBDjbmykmqWaBIhCjIXdm2PNLSh5JN0fa863yOjcMVnKgP5WERivZJigBBTOxpgf6OvKbx5MuUHrrOqo1Wbs_U9_NnuLB10S-0Ov08cJaAS_U2F11N5eC4/s1600/IMG_9435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zg2oFg5csdK4gNMyAaBOeoBDjbmykmqWaBIhCjIXdm2PNLSh5JN0fa863yOjcMVnKgP5WERivZJigBBTOxpgf6OvKbx5MuUHrrOqo1Wbs_U9_NnuLB10S-0Ov08cJaAS_U2F11N5eC4/s640/IMG_9435.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4dNXo7x_xsrZU5KbFCnUx1ppGL5ulSAknns7vRrcEZc9UPP2DJTn720xJS6xCAhAjxr807LxBhFeOuXl1WgqtH-TYrQOtADkgAckb9ilXiOCKF5W2feJebKCPX48a7jOW7fz9CdKzCw/s1600/received_10159308423440394.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4dNXo7x_xsrZU5KbFCnUx1ppGL5ulSAknns7vRrcEZc9UPP2DJTn720xJS6xCAhAjxr807LxBhFeOuXl1WgqtH-TYrQOtADkgAckb9ilXiOCKF5W2feJebKCPX48a7jOW7fz9CdKzCw/s640/received_10159308423440394.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krista took this amazing shot of some horses about to drop an album.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcij_7vov4Wf2YiX_F4GMAIYKGPi7mV4il4mqbhIlwqdUgr8KW2bIh_wMlmIlle62zQYMVahK34LNm2yRxuPjXa_uA96EKfXJxCynV63wThbAg7lElo32xMu2nOlvkvhwlUrZL_P-1Ik/s640/received_10159308424030394.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This horse is feeling cheesy.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8MoD8nqjhq_pCVm7xWehGS2FlRJxiHv1mZ8VE5D1E5ZM8CEBb1BfY8zxwiP3Kpx7iib4IN1EjmSZuxzRvB2Q-gLE7Jeb-yC_WTpYQIhWzR4J7LcpUZZ7kOkMiyQ0YE9WCcluqEzGvdw/s1600/SAM_6452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8MoD8nqjhq_pCVm7xWehGS2FlRJxiHv1mZ8VE5D1E5ZM8CEBb1BfY8zxwiP3Kpx7iib4IN1EjmSZuxzRvB2Q-gLE7Jeb-yC_WTpYQIhWzR4J7LcpUZZ7kOkMiyQ0YE9WCcluqEzGvdw/s640/SAM_6452.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbJWXkPpO9D7_4PloUhyphenhyphen7QuIArArrrAQ3N8K4LTJvDoMjzLMsWicRyE_Ul2bjcvBeI56k8XLshBLuqcPjKTcc6oE6QXrt2vVjUBa83-cuHanK56JgKhKH5HajhpUm5X12N-17EsjFqgk/s1600/SAM_6456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbJWXkPpO9D7_4PloUhyphenhyphen7QuIArArrrAQ3N8K4LTJvDoMjzLMsWicRyE_Ul2bjcvBeI56k8XLshBLuqcPjKTcc6oE6QXrt2vVjUBa83-cuHanK56JgKhKH5HajhpUm5X12N-17EsjFqgk/s640/SAM_6456.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL5kfwdaSfEFD-RLV9QTlXPIPUxb7PB1JtOARbakqtComUwMeOmB-Rrtv2xvLTZhtJsGt5yCRnxYe-c1mt_YdHT78UF21mh4Jv5YzLxsiLpFKQukIkXpUBfcEBvSAykh6f1TJBAAUG5M/s1600/SAM_6463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL5kfwdaSfEFD-RLV9QTlXPIPUxb7PB1JtOARbakqtComUwMeOmB-Rrtv2xvLTZhtJsGt5yCRnxYe-c1mt_YdHT78UF21mh4Jv5YzLxsiLpFKQukIkXpUBfcEBvSAykh6f1TJBAAUG5M/s640/SAM_6463.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRihuIHZgm1-ydbZ3A9UVPvrXmEwMAY-4Rh_CLsstjNLvPm30scCh6QqaaIeSN83eIDlACbZwK_SydYql4GIbOXIn2bhSr-yu7rk74-3o8ikl-ti1-GMRapGS9W5_WESBQ3IpqsV9jq8/s1600/SAM_6468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRihuIHZgm1-ydbZ3A9UVPvrXmEwMAY-4Rh_CLsstjNLvPm30scCh6QqaaIeSN83eIDlACbZwK_SydYql4GIbOXIn2bhSr-yu7rk74-3o8ikl-ti1-GMRapGS9W5_WESBQ3IpqsV9jq8/s640/SAM_6468.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried to make my own album but it ended up baaaAAAaaad. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And then, the weather changed (again).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wH1RT6Bu95pvPaHI2MiTddhkIsSFd6NH8X-dFoS5Yb5KuBPiTtSytL-LPvAx68xjhe2di5m0thiXT3WfGMogdBCVv44UMhdg-3UvNzJCXmgH5j4yJqrWxL0Ytgyp9MADWWDuqwBmMh4/s1600/IMG_9436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wH1RT6Bu95pvPaHI2MiTddhkIsSFd6NH8X-dFoS5Yb5KuBPiTtSytL-LPvAx68xjhe2di5m0thiXT3WfGMogdBCVv44UMhdg-3UvNzJCXmgH5j4yJqrWxL0Ytgyp9MADWWDuqwBmMh4/s640/IMG_9436.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oIxj8_i-BrFbYfFa-mEVydh32yaMBnQtD0BXxuDwVeSZwj5d3hbrm84H19rbkOLoeSRDpEr9gztOL-bMycFvQKa_KMejXm_daD46H-18y62ScGI799nG0FxKBWsBMI5qxjFl_Yvio80/s1600/IMG_9437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oIxj8_i-BrFbYfFa-mEVydh32yaMBnQtD0BXxuDwVeSZwj5d3hbrm84H19rbkOLoeSRDpEr9gztOL-bMycFvQKa_KMejXm_daD46H-18y62ScGI799nG0FxKBWsBMI5qxjFl_Yvio80/s640/IMG_9437.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hours later we stopped for a bathroom break at the ONLY store we'd seen in A WHILE. Krista walked to the front door where she was greeted by a woman and her dog. "Are you open?" "No." "Do you know of a place with a bathroom in the area?" "Yes, in Bifrost about an hour back that way." Not willing to turn back, we continued towards the Westfjords, where we found a bathroom and restaurant in like 10 minutes. That cheeky so-and-so!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Also, the weather changed again!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFc9Nf8zv9s-kpEr91H0csTvsLOuHG2EtoHw2-SN5mOoJPWTFAZAF4Rgj1pPufti66utzSDF4ZJsVWSEIi4tcefT1UdQ4zFexEM7B_nstSWIPQ1xa1ZQfoD-Q4ESkd7KphTxsuhXAFRnM/s1600/IMG_9443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFc9Nf8zv9s-kpEr91H0csTvsLOuHG2EtoHw2-SN5mOoJPWTFAZAF4Rgj1pPufti66utzSDF4ZJsVWSEIi4tcefT1UdQ4zFexEM7B_nstSWIPQ1xa1ZQfoD-Q4ESkd7KphTxsuhXAFRnM/s640/IMG_9443.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Icelandic Bumble Bee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFITGCNYSXbJgL3XwQDbRr2FP_ZJYRs_U4UmXLnZbZcQBfP2J0_hazkiVEqfKUVws3oWW0YECJHc94dYjFkqw_FfuSvgYMqpyY2CtSDm5pph4UWdYgOSMHmXJtX551vjVHpoRM2hjCkXw/s1600/IMG_9447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFITGCNYSXbJgL3XwQDbRr2FP_ZJYRs_U4UmXLnZbZcQBfP2J0_hazkiVEqfKUVws3oWW0YECJHc94dYjFkqw_FfuSvgYMqpyY2CtSDm5pph4UWdYgOSMHmXJtX551vjVHpoRM2hjCkXw/s640/IMG_9447.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxfCsOTIqLB3W6tSDhAXQzFMQmKoZvzxY6UzYTD8a2zodgv2dpEHWFpdNYh6opi6Nxn0b_B4n_c-y3UJcFFexDvx5ob693JyEMqJiUshcmSK7KQBlNpmqMHVQdsYRfXaQJip7BGBpvTQ/s1600/IMG_9448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxfCsOTIqLB3W6tSDhAXQzFMQmKoZvzxY6UzYTD8a2zodgv2dpEHWFpdNYh6opi6Nxn0b_B4n_c-y3UJcFFexDvx5ob693JyEMqJiUshcmSK7KQBlNpmqMHVQdsYRfXaQJip7BGBpvTQ/s640/IMG_9448.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We love being the only ones on the road. And we love taking pictures!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The wind and COLD picked up and we found ourselves crossing a bridge over choppy waters. It was at this point I realized just how BIG and DEEP and GRAND the Fjords are. They are SO full of water, sometimes whales come in for a feeding. We haven't been lucky enough to see one yet, but are hopeful, even though it's the very end of the season.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPFq7sUjjVLF8CM2Mm4d6zpKkg_DwemytQg65c2_Y-IxVJ411Mel1yqtUeiJNEL3aPXlWJzcQm9XxoC9R96MOClZz1hA60Q0LGqH6wbhsxywErWZnnwp_gIeuJW81-7joeY652snu8sg/s1600/IMG_9450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPFq7sUjjVLF8CM2Mm4d6zpKkg_DwemytQg65c2_Y-IxVJ411Mel1yqtUeiJNEL3aPXlWJzcQm9XxoC9R96MOClZz1hA60Q0LGqH6wbhsxywErWZnnwp_gIeuJW81-7joeY652snu8sg/s640/IMG_9450.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I got very excited about the wind and the cold and the water! I started keeping my eye out for a place to pull over and run around. Soon enough, we were at sea level with access to a decent, if FREEZING, beach. (No, I did not dare go for a swim or even touch the water).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NWUHJe8H85M6PTPo1uLj44pRB2i4Xd9G7a4GZvokejHHzvnkeQuyELveSB81k6OiOWpWvu76o-OGjYLjbSRqlui8iCnoJBGxPIGPC_1hxkI1DeBhOJi-w8Qe6I83deZgHq0Png_D2DQ/s1600/IMG_9459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NWUHJe8H85M6PTPo1uLj44pRB2i4Xd9G7a4GZvokejHHzvnkeQuyELveSB81k6OiOWpWvu76o-OGjYLjbSRqlui8iCnoJBGxPIGPC_1hxkI1DeBhOJi-w8Qe6I83deZgHq0Png_D2DQ/s640/IMG_9459.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM4cqV1CWiMI7meHHz58Y2jNKN9xxFrPeLCtcOZdJbYaepFiMETbBMAHUWXZa7jwUSpulc3pm9YxTYoO9_9FHjRGsiLd3KCUFfJSl24szu5rlzV01hqg6mTWdgzSfnjvBs5f7WXKAhaU/s1600/IMG_9470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM4cqV1CWiMI7meHHz58Y2jNKN9xxFrPeLCtcOZdJbYaepFiMETbBMAHUWXZa7jwUSpulc3pm9YxTYoO9_9FHjRGsiLd3KCUFfJSl24szu5rlzV01hqg6mTWdgzSfnjvBs5f7WXKAhaU/s640/IMG_9470.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I was loving it!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSvGIrKmSmHVuDMY2X7KHB9ysvUoD5Dg-BThgOazaW5VbSB6F4P7Tho6dTzk1t5sjAUTkhL-f_mwbp5sV1bDP5wHHyuXT0aLlgDGzUhnKdyKoeHLUL2h10Z4lXHdLyY4itCE1F60HHns/s1600/IMG_9462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSvGIrKmSmHVuDMY2X7KHB9ysvUoD5Dg-BThgOazaW5VbSB6F4P7Tho6dTzk1t5sjAUTkhL-f_mwbp5sV1bDP5wHHyuXT0aLlgDGzUhnKdyKoeHLUL2h10Z4lXHdLyY4itCE1F60HHns/s640/IMG_9462.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then we RAN back to the car to warm up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What ARE these? Floating tractors?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Eventually, we arrived at our hotel, checked in, ate dinner and settled down for the night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Or so we thought...</span></div>
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sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-7261724690225494952017-09-24T17:24:00.002-07:002017-09-24T17:33:23.191-07:00Reykjavik to Snæfellsnes Peninsula to Grundarfjörður to Stykkishólmur to Sauðafell Guesthouse - Day 7<span style="font-size: large;">Holy huge day, Batman! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEfYQsUBkpGSZMRGtYWokHQjaLlIsWHBdlyIP7dy9StV-UKocZOpUlAxHD4Wc0C1K9NhvmsHsJsNO0p0w3Mdx6y1m3Z5eQ8RtPeiesDGiv2TlweeQ-TfUTCyZUp9clKAWEPEaY_r21-g/s1600/SAM_6372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEfYQsUBkpGSZMRGtYWokHQjaLlIsWHBdlyIP7dy9StV-UKocZOpUlAxHD4Wc0C1K9NhvmsHsJsNO0p0w3Mdx6y1m3Z5eQ8RtPeiesDGiv2TlweeQ-TfUTCyZUp9clKAWEPEaY_r21-g/s400/SAM_6372.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the road again</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We started by checking out a local cafe. </span><a href="http://joifel.is/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Jói Fel</a><span style="font-size: large;"> in Reykjavik. We ordered a this and a that (who knows what they were called). We basically got a puff pastry with bacon and bechamel and a pastry with cinnamon, butter and yum stuff on top. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgun9rhRJDm42tlOCmYqh6lmfWE3I6Zkda2_IolCeasMedUyc9TUOl_fJ_BuBDZo3vZrqLbvbY1Cy3a0MM_9PDBaqwSn34Wuqx-NHen58gwU8hjEJ3WtjBM8IZs_YQWi9lRZVLxseC8QBc/s1600/IMG_9210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgun9rhRJDm42tlOCmYqh6lmfWE3I6Zkda2_IolCeasMedUyc9TUOl_fJ_BuBDZo3vZrqLbvbY1Cy3a0MM_9PDBaqwSn34Wuqx-NHen58gwU8hjEJ3WtjBM8IZs_YQWi9lRZVLxseC8QBc/s400/IMG_9210.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krista was looking forward to breakfast</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A storm was brewing and we were in no rush to greet it on the road, so we gave into our geeky, tourist desires and went to a local museum: <a href="http://whalesoficeland.is/" target="_blank">Whales of Iceland</a> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflDh4c5lMR4TlI858XqNFFiNVcau-CVUYnGAlAHxOD0fQFEiJLJkhCtYhtqvD23_Y1cIv1CheyLujYOD_aE9URPi3V9reWF64sG2DwGqS04dw8FBelj_FMeeIY807_Pb_PoLIebBh11k/s1600/IMG_9213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflDh4c5lMR4TlI858XqNFFiNVcau-CVUYnGAlAHxOD0fQFEiJLJkhCtYhtqvD23_Y1cIv1CheyLujYOD_aE9URPi3V9reWF64sG2DwGqS04dw8FBelj_FMeeIY807_Pb_PoLIebBh11k/s400/IMG_9213.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1kgoLHD0ke6-wLJzYfkaG-QEpkluQ8SYEyTjTi-_nB_N_Vnn21Qd4hGlHf6zdHBtIMqnk-d9WXSooY4MVXmNM0he8W-iaEKdEytnfdt0ZRi-z6N65kGFOiLkUkCzmQky1UHKqK0Hpxg/s1600/IMG_9222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1kgoLHD0ke6-wLJzYfkaG-QEpkluQ8SYEyTjTi-_nB_N_Vnn21Qd4hGlHf6zdHBtIMqnk-d9WXSooY4MVXmNM0he8W-iaEKdEytnfdt0ZRi-z6N65kGFOiLkUkCzmQky1UHKqK0Hpxg/s400/IMG_9222.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Narwahl. My favorite whale. Interesting feature: A LONG tooth.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact learned: Narwahls were once hunted, not for their fat or meat, but so their long tooth could be gifted to royalty as "genuine unicorn horn." </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbIqoQRMdRRowuKy8YyD5ky47XDQwusr4KO328AE4xNS4_kCm2DuE4sdK19k5OG6CxCZqB8MUXawwxZWwFXnje4dN3U5lopc_MowLFwhJHShv1EQojuTbHsEh88lOSXWAqKfO1U3W2HDE/s1600/IMG_9225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbIqoQRMdRRowuKy8YyD5ky47XDQwusr4KO328AE4xNS4_kCm2DuE4sdK19k5OG6CxCZqB8MUXawwxZWwFXnje4dN3U5lopc_MowLFwhJHShv1EQojuTbHsEh88lOSXWAqKfO1U3W2HDE/s400/IMG_9225.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sperm Whale. Interesting feature: That noggin!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact learned: The sperm whale was the inspiration for the whale in Pinocchio. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZSnYwS78os658qD9KKYTHUrwEmJr3awiusLNzfzzdQOFFfZ0S1i6RfgBhuYeASlaCTOOOpFLzws5NjY42Q7x_Fmi-bYSxWBFZXaiCdx_mM_-IDRQBuG0CmQPqeVl-631QTqlKUNj-5U/s1600/IMG_9242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZSnYwS78os658qD9KKYTHUrwEmJr3awiusLNzfzzdQOFFfZ0S1i6RfgBhuYeASlaCTOOOpFLzws5NjY42Q7x_Fmi-bYSxWBFZXaiCdx_mM_-IDRQBuG0CmQPqeVl-631QTqlKUNj-5U/s400/IMG_9242.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virtual Reality!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was not my favorite activity, but Krista loved it. You could "tap" on a whale outline and WHAM-O the whale would ZOOM up to you and fun facts were presented on either side. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlVU2MImR6sueSgHs6ENJ3URBV3M25Jp-uqfyff-kqH-yQWNchjplLNxPr-4Pu3-uKeSLUEzBoWCWs44KlZ0pAwQynZoDSIR1URM00LesaePVM9BCbgzPRTRu4r7Mn2DWvxzpjnxjDjM/s1600/IMG_9249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlVU2MImR6sueSgHs6ENJ3URBV3M25Jp-uqfyff-kqH-yQWNchjplLNxPr-4Pu3-uKeSLUEzBoWCWs44KlZ0pAwQynZoDSIR1URM00LesaePVM9BCbgzPRTRu4r7Mn2DWvxzpjnxjDjM/s400/IMG_9249.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the wall to the bathroom was cool: Think your grandma is tough? Orca grannies lead their pods on brutal hunts slaying great white sharks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gbqUl1htg-LmA7EsQFMLNy6EFhkCBIE4Y7FNvqFJqQ3g_Ez6hYs10nZkoVV_uBA6b7kEbY0__mCBkAD6MVfjtFwGIOnSNma_dC0TDgtW9xLO8X7MVM9vXNeQeeWf9L47y3tpy6nQfF0/s1600/IMG_9254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gbqUl1htg-LmA7EsQFMLNy6EFhkCBIE4Y7FNvqFJqQ3g_Ez6hYs10nZkoVV_uBA6b7kEbY0__mCBkAD6MVfjtFwGIOnSNma_dC0TDgtW9xLO8X7MVM9vXNeQeeWf9L47y3tpy6nQfF0/s400/IMG_9254.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takk Fyrir (Thank you), Whales of Iceland Museum for a great time!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was time to brave the storm. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Very windy, rainy and cold, but it </span><span style="font-size: large;">wasn't so bad from the car. It was getting OUT of the car to take pictures that was ridiculous!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49Hc6jKm8uSSWtR4JYQZZ34V7StZqv-_5AL2nnbYu5mn4IWkS9QETstXVuGdAgX6hlsOgTEfq2DvyQiXwFwxbPuewZsR0NAn-Dwf7TMohA5k6WB2YNRqEar49c7gWLqpUMMKJBNN5YFA/s1600/received_10159308826700394.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49Hc6jKm8uSSWtR4JYQZZ34V7StZqv-_5AL2nnbYu5mn4IWkS9QETstXVuGdAgX6hlsOgTEfq2DvyQiXwFwxbPuewZsR0NAn-Dwf7TMohA5k6WB2YNRqEar49c7gWLqpUMMKJBNN5YFA/s400/received_10159308826700394.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krista dry and warm / Sarah freezing and rained on (but getting <strike>great</strike> mediocre pictures)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwq_36Ct9KOJAykNaedSabiOSiHSPEMaJGyLuPCzp98_avaXfZ1kMwGaAC1AIYF19o4g0YrEv2gIqxsH-XvAyEZVvrVn_hu8mOAAZiSfoAUOXOXzJ62ucz-UAE33QVnF1BGAipTkk-EbA/s1600/SAM_6320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwq_36Ct9KOJAykNaedSabiOSiHSPEMaJGyLuPCzp98_avaXfZ1kMwGaAC1AIYF19o4g0YrEv2gIqxsH-XvAyEZVvrVn_hu8mOAAZiSfoAUOXOXzJ62ucz-UAE33QVnF1BGAipTkk-EbA/s400/SAM_6320.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mist blowing off the waves</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUyAZtQhptT9U1NWenQphRDNmU5HBtY-JnA93OJNZ3FghZ0LiLZzaxPCcfHkrCFhxBX-K7S_1cAYnuzsaRGWqZ9rB1jKH-YSp36KJymc7n7SilK850V-23LzXfqD-c-uyqCmIjl0Rsr0A/s1600/SAM_6337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUyAZtQhptT9U1NWenQphRDNmU5HBtY-JnA93OJNZ3FghZ0LiLZzaxPCcfHkrCFhxBX-K7S_1cAYnuzsaRGWqZ9rB1jKH-YSp36KJymc7n7SilK850V-23LzXfqD-c-uyqCmIjl0Rsr0A/s400/SAM_6337.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VGzARoyvJtZ2C09qE5ICD8mxYE7TqFk-kGW5wAANOs4xwDg7B1gGB7RHs5dGyQ3vrKiI_q1WYe-_I81-4fklKr8Yf8N7cgFq9ff0qfL1ut0wK0_ztA5KPO-2zNDXsYGxXXhv4ogj6JI/s1600/SAM_6340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VGzARoyvJtZ2C09qE5ICD8mxYE7TqFk-kGW5wAANOs4xwDg7B1gGB7RHs5dGyQ3vrKiI_q1WYe-_I81-4fklKr8Yf8N7cgFq9ff0qfL1ut0wK0_ztA5KPO-2zNDXsYGxXXhv4ogj6JI/s400/SAM_6340.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">30km outside of Reykjavik - a local airport<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aEo5TZJZ9gEfnaQHeKnlVOc1mHdAjVb7TYsbkmQG3zXQXBZWplZk_Fi_ivPnxmgVVtos-C8upoivQurCXi3ckCY3kkDSquQjw5t87yBPl8dYKwveRJZ3Wr5PSJZjqHYQMzVdY1u7BYU/s1600/SAM_6341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aEo5TZJZ9gEfnaQHeKnlVOc1mHdAjVb7TYsbkmQG3zXQXBZWplZk_Fi_ivPnxmgVVtos-C8upoivQurCXi3ckCY3kkDSquQjw5t87yBPl8dYKwveRJZ3Wr5PSJZjqHYQMzVdY1u7BYU/s400/SAM_6341.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">You saw that right...it's basically sheep grazing and the occasional plane</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Somewhere along the line we saw lava fields!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24f8aZ0Jw5DTo242_g0myGsvZnK8GnS8hvm6oTNVAa78PuZ93cbEhu8lHi9muRgZ9C-D8wosFcgelutYtpjFbJBb1RQhmfR1bDBbXbwEglfc5x77_svgt5n_ZxnEyBsb3Wo6gWDV67JY/s1600/SAM_6343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24f8aZ0Jw5DTo242_g0myGsvZnK8GnS8hvm6oTNVAa78PuZ93cbEhu8lHi9muRgZ9C-D8wosFcgelutYtpjFbJBb1RQhmfR1bDBbXbwEglfc5x77_svgt5n_ZxnEyBsb3Wo6gWDV67JY/s640/SAM_6343.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYccmyAYiStdVx8qrsqDv_LauP2fnXIJuKIsZ7j_uBMwT_j8pCiqr362cPJD5o8gRCw4EggznJwn533AaLSAQO1KXp_reccYGNMMt-oZtK0ja_CV4VxNE2sL8W9rtYpZZXXHNtdjl-6Aw/s1600/SAM_6344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYccmyAYiStdVx8qrsqDv_LauP2fnXIJuKIsZ7j_uBMwT_j8pCiqr362cPJD5o8gRCw4EggznJwn533AaLSAQO1KXp_reccYGNMMt-oZtK0ja_CV4VxNE2sL8W9rtYpZZXXHNtdjl-6Aw/s640/SAM_6344.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm convinced that little dude on top is a secret Troll</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pP58D36XEw8pM8Awo8kLkFNSevfGAAApUtm-JhIaeZXZX5GghRs_a4o6np4oy5KQ1Glv1t8seQV8NlsfwDaa1AL3Zy5SnVVTDoa2GkBsIA6UCDEJPqv1hy4oKf3VMKuCCehQRKj-O3k/s1600/SAM_6345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pP58D36XEw8pM8Awo8kLkFNSevfGAAApUtm-JhIaeZXZX5GghRs_a4o6np4oy5KQ1Glv1t8seQV8NlsfwDaa1AL3Zy5SnVVTDoa2GkBsIA6UCDEJPqv1hy4oKf3VMKuCCehQRKj-O3k/s640/SAM_6345.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then we came across this house with a witch painted on it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy95V43-stuDjNGM7Phv38mPnNCZKvWXChQiIk9I3XCy8J9VxxXhPklJD3qX2bKRc08J9bc77DWFGCySqndsV9di31N6Qmvl-1OZBo1HSoBDHiAdfMSauCVft-Nqjc4EYfkwQVbQWTKFc/s1600/SAM_6349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy95V43-stuDjNGM7Phv38mPnNCZKvWXChQiIk9I3XCy8J9VxxXhPklJD3qX2bKRc08J9bc77DWFGCySqndsV9di31N6Qmvl-1OZBo1HSoBDHiAdfMSauCVft-Nqjc4EYfkwQVbQWTKFc/s640/SAM_6349.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some Icelandic Horses</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxWNzpGesW7DBBeO4TSrLgOgSeyzE8q2j3PN4oYVxkk5-BFPN2sn2otW_UbrXdsd0tCRBe5bpS_9z0vsEY8qo0Mi5pKf4Hbdgt0pQK2RaUSAQaOamKfEh5AnghNFgaEwq-T80vOE9M4E/s1600/SAM_6354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxWNzpGesW7DBBeO4TSrLgOgSeyzE8q2j3PN4oYVxkk5-BFPN2sn2otW_UbrXdsd0tCRBe5bpS_9z0vsEY8qo0Mi5pKf4Hbdgt0pQK2RaUSAQaOamKfEh5AnghNFgaEwq-T80vOE9M4E/s640/SAM_6354.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpCm8DWc5tGEmivYryMKIxzSlLDXpMMzlqOcgcbjiNJSSmr77IjIbGKaxW-SQz-3KhVyB2Eypk8cUTlf07YjsZB0Usm_FjYA68IoEeXvQBlMyxLdO-52HgsF2RgsPpcVEyrPlhy6WufI/s1600/SAM_6355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpCm8DWc5tGEmivYryMKIxzSlLDXpMMzlqOcgcbjiNJSSmr77IjIbGKaxW-SQz-3KhVyB2Eypk8cUTlf07YjsZB0Usm_FjYA68IoEeXvQBlMyxLdO-52HgsF2RgsPpcVEyrPlhy6WufI/s640/SAM_6355.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today we hit up Grudarfjordur and Stykkish</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9x8AlTL1krxsEpp8c_lY48xqr-FvjyU3puxiAZzl2zV_mLKvrKEn796yOE_yQAj3yK2gXDFrGATzmK7wZCh7ufwNK1kyU4sTDV0qCRLywCiTo90yaBxFVCO5lStarh93F65B06pPY1BQ/s1600/SAM_6357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9x8AlTL1krxsEpp8c_lY48xqr-FvjyU3puxiAZzl2zV_mLKvrKEn796yOE_yQAj3yK2gXDFrGATzmK7wZCh7ufwNK1kyU4sTDV0qCRLywCiTo90yaBxFVCO5lStarh93F65B06pPY1BQ/s640/SAM_6357.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of driving to be done</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Through mist and rain, wind and well more rain, we arrived in Grundarfjörður. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKoPU7-DDfnKGg8a7yu2z712TfrrgHOTETqaUtaay_D3NReGZdHhOPgoPYZcTsCTVCAm557m40Wvcj6RX9fs6uTbK98lS8cbqSBbmaoiJFTpcLFek7-a60gRrZ9viDWZjJyBHy2zu1Lg/s1600/SAM_6368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKoPU7-DDfnKGg8a7yu2z712TfrrgHOTETqaUtaay_D3NReGZdHhOPgoPYZcTsCTVCAm557m40Wvcj6RX9fs6uTbK98lS8cbqSBbmaoiJFTpcLFek7-a60gRrZ9viDWZjJyBHy2zu1Lg/s400/SAM_6368.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first view of Mt Kirkjufell in the misty distance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJufqpHvxYd5LvQHfaKbKJK6X1rKJm9Lx39PGRTFiT1MfXQNrktEBtbN6GvaA4sr_h41ACWw6A2SfuE3Cr2ARuE04-HNo9XeKXgd5UL6KzxrwJ_t92kVzVGUxjuVMVKAfM-7YvvpcHhA/s1600/IMG_9296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJufqpHvxYd5LvQHfaKbKJK6X1rKJm9Lx39PGRTFiT1MfXQNrktEBtbN6GvaA4sr_h41ACWw6A2SfuE3Cr2ARuE04-HNo9XeKXgd5UL6KzxrwJ_t92kVzVGUxjuVMVKAfM-7YvvpcHhA/s640/IMG_9296.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This mountain was filmed in Season 6 of Game of Thrones, "Winter is coming". </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then we stopped to have lunch in the only place open in town. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOn7Hsa8IzscxWNCSCYCHjdPfhFbt8T4pDagZvlOsaASg-p15CxLnJ-O_nwM_prhZiZSji7P_WJqulJ4N_slDTnYzeK0VKN0I0zmbsZIzEXU2KpWlBeJXEOojOennK25WLtessF_-yoM/s1600/received_10159308430765394.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOn7Hsa8IzscxWNCSCYCHjdPfhFbt8T4pDagZvlOsaASg-p15CxLnJ-O_nwM_prhZiZSji7P_WJqulJ4N_slDTnYzeK0VKN0I0zmbsZIzEXU2KpWlBeJXEOojOennK25WLtessF_-yoM/s640/received_10159308430765394.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emil's cafe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKwq1rQrXsnc3ARnMHrfxJhTSCHwO0EvejjkanoTvtipKbu_GIW-v-RZwn7ROFFbLy3z6HdyKiL2F8tTGOdJ8iAN__rSFk8PHaQ2c5P5AE5Mk2tXGctC5SlDI6uxIVjdSRzqzF0n893M/s1600/IMG_9276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKwq1rQrXsnc3ARnMHrfxJhTSCHwO0EvejjkanoTvtipKbu_GIW-v-RZwn7ROFFbLy3z6HdyKiL2F8tTGOdJ8iAN__rSFk8PHaQ2c5P5AE5Mk2tXGctC5SlDI6uxIVjdSRzqzF0n893M/s400/IMG_9276.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Marriage Cake - A very popular cake in Iceland (it tasted like if an oatmeal cookie was cakified)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The only savory items on the menu were Fish Soup and Asparagus Soup. While we were at Emil's cafe, TWO tour buses showed up. The bathroom line was ridiculous for like an hour. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Interesting feature of this cafe was the theatre inside which ran a looped slide show of the history of their town. No one likes a slide show, amiright?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This is where I skip the third handed slide show by NOT putting you through that. Basically, there were a few people and a couple horses, the car was introduced and then there were a few more people. Then, I guess, soup and tour buses came into play. I don't know. I got bored.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Across the street, there was a general store. Post office, convenience store and excellent parking.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI80pOK0eMuHZZ3sqhhfxVwJwa8j6OYCxIOjqtcRQLr_dc8hHbJJKKPZqwzJO9S5SOpy3JpaxP5YKwaxFRWJQKiFH6me9L_ZI0fyRls0AuCZxZ7g-4y0hUbGZRmaa5F2cJ1dRAl81Y4Zk/s1600/IMG_9288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI80pOK0eMuHZZ3sqhhfxVwJwa8j6OYCxIOjqtcRQLr_dc8hHbJJKKPZqwzJO9S5SOpy3JpaxP5YKwaxFRWJQKiFH6me9L_ZI0fyRls0AuCZxZ7g-4y0hUbGZRmaa5F2cJ1dRAl81Y4Zk/s400/IMG_9288.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HUGE Wheelchairs Only</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuatzIHRq9d16-OsKEqwo3EoMb5M94-1WngxZVx0Vi4t_s9QX3AtTFJKJrX3JlMxEq_hOPM6cCo9896xg3LFuIOmDKESxgXvLV-UVnBSR2Bn_jCiC5el1n6vSJb0yQzW7yfLpWTtb4pyg/s1600/IMG_9289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuatzIHRq9d16-OsKEqwo3EoMb5M94-1WngxZVx0Vi4t_s9QX3AtTFJKJrX3JlMxEq_hOPM6cCo9896xg3LFuIOmDKESxgXvLV-UVnBSR2Bn_jCiC5el1n6vSJb0yQzW7yfLpWTtb4pyg/s400/IMG_9289.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We had to backtrack a little bit to reach our next destination</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMWFrvGIOKjwB0UfMu8-KycPcBqWLCxpV9Joul7s6GadTu-Uz5oC_PLKe37jL1fQTl7sakL8gcpgEwKokEAaP8SWY25V_SI4G3I6Z9MjkD60LHAfwG8V4pPhKK7Fd0llOauejSj9V6_Q/s1600/SAM_6371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMWFrvGIOKjwB0UfMu8-KycPcBqWLCxpV9Joul7s6GadTu-Uz5oC_PLKe37jL1fQTl7sakL8gcpgEwKokEAaP8SWY25V_SI4G3I6Z9MjkD60LHAfwG8V4pPhKK7Fd0llOauejSj9V6_Q/s640/SAM_6371.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We will take this road...all by ourselves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpwZTxrRdTRbEtUdLhT9Sv1_Iag9ypT5C-sW7wRBZ1ENDVLyC0UqY87LpecXCQjKl-yWLo9csP22C9jt6u3GgMYH0XcLEbJDepdAHBJW5wj7vlO0Qz0NFm032TTY-HXVccsiCyYRYBxs/s1600/SAM_6374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpwZTxrRdTRbEtUdLhT9Sv1_Iag9ypT5C-sW7wRBZ1ENDVLyC0UqY87LpecXCQjKl-yWLo9csP22C9jt6u3GgMYH0XcLEbJDepdAHBJW5wj7vlO0Qz0NFm032TTY-HXVccsiCyYRYBxs/s640/SAM_6374.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome lava fields</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0fOG74xJifuKtUFN13N8Iij4ggvEEUPawDDGFOoBU5OAiXdE5ahhNWwfZQfdJJ5V5GvwYT7RcrlydIEIuGVepzqqg3qjCa4zEyZN3o1a6AxZhYgI34Cqz_jTOBnZ2IvVIu6UxLQLQ_0/s1600/SAM_6373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0fOG74xJifuKtUFN13N8Iij4ggvEEUPawDDGFOoBU5OAiXdE5ahhNWwfZQfdJJ5V5GvwYT7RcrlydIEIuGVepzqqg3qjCa4zEyZN3o1a6AxZhYgI34Cqz_jTOBnZ2IvVIu6UxLQLQ_0/s640/SAM_6373.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More awesome lava fields</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgSGpib2ohU7h2D3W_JdX89VjhAbDN3U76M19_l4coYtfGakpFPZdvPukme9pofAe0EFkMIi2eLDQTcUpZiWIjfx5JoNMeXyHfzpmMFu96TJ56fs8S3a8k1CBklDRv_ocuvwHrBnAKUrc/s1600/SAM_6381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgSGpib2ohU7h2D3W_JdX89VjhAbDN3U76M19_l4coYtfGakpFPZdvPukme9pofAe0EFkMIi2eLDQTcUpZiWIjfx5JoNMeXyHfzpmMFu96TJ56fs8S3a8k1CBklDRv_ocuvwHrBnAKUrc/s640/SAM_6381.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We stopped by a cemetery on the outskirts of town</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1GqYh5v0tavRKzLnu5mDhOPf8e7jn4iVg1jS3kyI6tf5gV0oIXuML-N8G6T5CrMxnc6V2yeL9caRGRG1HtSQlWyYdjPtxiWJMxfOILw03AneazJdVl24y13E7xtuXJ2JzMpUk2OpfU4/s1600/SAM_6386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1GqYh5v0tavRKzLnu5mDhOPf8e7jn4iVg1jS3kyI6tf5gV0oIXuML-N8G6T5CrMxnc6V2yeL9caRGRG1HtSQlWyYdjPtxiWJMxfOILw03AneazJdVl24y13E7xtuXJ2JzMpUk2OpfU4/s400/SAM_6386.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey "Oddsson" - we were picked up outside of Oddsson hotel yesterday</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHi_P5RNcRK_BRU0an1XlPESTXVccCsWXaWJQ8ATsU2tIPpiatdcqYXXqrY5rpnQHpXxzNy85ZWVsGwen78Sx4Ehoxm_f7wCEo1bj6b2HTzxWMBXEtp8PkjNqzG3hQ-rcWpu7WmQZVi_w/s1600/IMG_9298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHi_P5RNcRK_BRU0an1XlPESTXVccCsWXaWJQ8ATsU2tIPpiatdcqYXXqrY5rpnQHpXxzNy85ZWVsGwen78Sx4Ehoxm_f7wCEo1bj6b2HTzxWMBXEtp8PkjNqzG3hQ-rcWpu7WmQZVi_w/s640/IMG_9298.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">There are never "too many" stops for pictures!<br />
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<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
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<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Next stop, Stykkisholmur, the northern most point of the </span><span style="font-size: large;">Snæfellsnes Peninsula.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixW3E6mx7ClNt3wwk_I9ulplBfKeQXOd7NaUi5jkBegSkLFkg7JTLyGOtqceDWzveRMmxVqlHqrSvcOMBZMoszQzDDpiLAx8DX6_OzHeeOOc78y9euvpFQHw4vILcx-tEgFlYIW0vK00/s1600/IMG_9301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixW3E6mx7ClNt3wwk_I9ulplBfKeQXOd7NaUi5jkBegSkLFkg7JTLyGOtqceDWzveRMmxVqlHqrSvcOMBZMoszQzDDpiLAx8DX6_OzHeeOOc78y9euvpFQHw4vILcx-tEgFlYIW0vK00/s640/IMG_9301.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ferry from Stykkishólmur to a town we would end up driving to tomorrow</td></tr>
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<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7cQmsfhg6IE0SoWNQ2DgJlBFzgS_TdNnLad-5DiSJc3bo8GFtebtNNdwCH5KlJtBNOwGCZNoK7hW94elE3E_JnLTXgTej-YhjAHaGL-iipjJNbAlQJ2fvGNHXTtXg2nZM_47__A56fo/s640/IMG_9308.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stairs? Already climbed them! Where did they lead?</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7cQmsfhg6IE0SoWNQ2DgJlBFzgS_TdNnLad-5DiSJc3bo8GFtebtNNdwCH5KlJtBNOwGCZNoK7hW94elE3E_JnLTXgTej-YhjAHaGL-iipjJNbAlQJ2fvGNHXTtXg2nZM_47__A56fo/s1600/IMG_9308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7cQmsfhg6IE0SoWNQ2DgJlBFzgS_TdNnLad-5DiSJc3bo8GFtebtNNdwCH5KlJtBNOwGCZNoK7hW94elE3E_JnLTXgTej-YhjAHaGL-iipjJNbAlQJ2fvGNHXTtXg2nZM_47__A56fo/s1600/IMG_9308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lAHVw5Nmr4VUCMxOvMmg0U17SGRxKU1gXRe8bNkEptGt9Wj-16cCDqf9sT-HSm3Kw5m6yG1UBLW663rmqTjJne2sd5fizdQ6K3Ukh8YtDX_WHySbietEMngv_jdioeD1YE7-AaXg5AA/s1600/IMG_9315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lAHVw5Nmr4VUCMxOvMmg0U17SGRxKU1gXRe8bNkEptGt9Wj-16cCDqf9sT-HSm3Kw5m6yG1UBLW663rmqTjJne2sd5fizdQ6K3Ukh8YtDX_WHySbietEMngv_jdioeD1YE7-AaXg5AA/s640/IMG_9315.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ooh, there's a lighthouse up here!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5JXFDTnmhIdP_9PqMLNDu0euxTW0pKjqf2me89d1YorzB7_iO0qAikRbEauiHbKxgCHJ42Qx-vxZ2TzOZNf1NFV222cMhnG6cwpwZ5L4EiVhc20jNJarGITGZt7OT_4bSx1kV4VnqMA/s1600/IMG_9309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5JXFDTnmhIdP_9PqMLNDu0euxTW0pKjqf2me89d1YorzB7_iO0qAikRbEauiHbKxgCHJ42Qx-vxZ2TzOZNf1NFV222cMhnG6cwpwZ5L4EiVhc20jNJarGITGZt7OT_4bSx1kV4VnqMA/s640/IMG_9309.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krista's a natural for the cover of Outside magazine<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZNQuSWf-BucNjhrIVpFnngYHt3dSgA1hJnixndCW5jBqnII2Gg5YgWqLNrbVXStB29jjquNaQnUg7r7qBpgdgd3alarlIXZi1Xn0523m1iKhH0p-DEIFNPqmOOSNz68UScbP7DE4VXE/s1600/SAM_6393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZNQuSWf-BucNjhrIVpFnngYHt3dSgA1hJnixndCW5jBqnII2Gg5YgWqLNrbVXStB29jjquNaQnUg7r7qBpgdgd3alarlIXZi1Xn0523m1iKhH0p-DEIFNPqmOOSNz68UScbP7DE4VXE/s640/SAM_6393.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A natural, I tell ya</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiopby3LP8YiW_QWKnr19uODywptyhTxKwcafWEq96hlFw-cUSzEoY0ABTiZHYQSkXY_DKOgn95yngVsO8evMrNaIFYaCPPyo867Z8kVUSJ1zEbUam33M7WQhC4Bg9oQoRUbe-R4wRQo0/s1600/IMG_9319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiopby3LP8YiW_QWKnr19uODywptyhTxKwcafWEq96hlFw-cUSzEoY0ABTiZHYQSkXY_DKOgn95yngVsO8evMrNaIFYaCPPyo867Z8kVUSJ1zEbUam33M7WQhC4Bg9oQoRUbe-R4wRQo0/s640/IMG_9319.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The town of Stykkishólmur</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOkjg3y2Ul9PtK3aavWYvpWBoLWhK_Hob7B2n6p-NNwRqVkRblvWoTvZEeE3cfI6a6f94CFhyphenhyphenLNxcQq26N_efm29SApezroTL4nBZZXWnapKLjnfO73TSdmomL_9DBOy9_wGOjXccgWg/s1600/SAM_6398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOkjg3y2Ul9PtK3aavWYvpWBoLWhK_Hob7B2n6p-NNwRqVkRblvWoTvZEeE3cfI6a6f94CFhyphenhyphenLNxcQq26N_efm29SApezroTL4nBZZXWnapKLjnfO73TSdmomL_9DBOy9_wGOjXccgWg/s640/SAM_6398.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view from the top of the hill</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> All this driving and picture taking is hungry work, so to dinner we went.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitagueMgJV_bDYJKHo587_lkkoRIkNVE6OG24QBj2X9SmZ8PuHJ18Egy7PczcB_Y9zu8643WxiKHCdAtZlnQQDJhzyb-YLXWxBU_6uavXmKBbYtepWs_ZvWJOyYUKfR-tCIDgpWmpB-88/s1600/IMG_9324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitagueMgJV_bDYJKHo587_lkkoRIkNVE6OG24QBj2X9SmZ8PuHJ18Egy7PczcB_Y9zu8643WxiKHCdAtZlnQQDJhzyb-YLXWxBU_6uavXmKBbYtepWs_ZvWJOyYUKfR-tCIDgpWmpB-88/s640/IMG_9324.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look really hard, you can see the lighthouse on top of that hill.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAES6DSeK8FOpAYVjRF6m0_XthgJbFfvfkzxbQSfWcXFWmrSNlyM84xjvjpd3jAXOoFll3h1QyqRsiV6bhi2tcRjzSlSzY_X91ZW68ioGl3hjsYi9fBPdEeLXPv8kpjNS4a_qZ0iojnSI/s1600/received_10159308428475394.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAES6DSeK8FOpAYVjRF6m0_XthgJbFfvfkzxbQSfWcXFWmrSNlyM84xjvjpd3jAXOoFll3h1QyqRsiV6bhi2tcRjzSlSzY_X91ZW68ioGl3hjsYi9fBPdEeLXPv8kpjNS4a_qZ0iojnSI/s640/received_10159308428475394.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish burger with vegetable ash bun</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZAcQEm2_CUScLfsyzHNq35FXac8bT27xBu92GwsP7MvDm_6eBV4yxzaPNVQ5r9F67RabD0D1L17ubBUs9MJNUZj6OMU8PzskKYl0AAcKFwBT6makf4aMdv-oeJ9TE_k2C5irL9I7YRQ/s1600/received_10159308428315394.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZAcQEm2_CUScLfsyzHNq35FXac8bT27xBu92GwsP7MvDm_6eBV4yxzaPNVQ5r9F67RabD0D1L17ubBUs9MJNUZj6OMU8PzskKYl0AAcKFwBT6makf4aMdv-oeJ9TE_k2C5irL9I7YRQ/s640/received_10159308428315394.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice Cream from a local creamery (it was amazing!) Strawberry, Caramel and Pistachio. Noms!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the sun began to set, we figured it was time to head out and make our way to our accommodation: Sauðafell Guesthouse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fun *not fun* thing number 1: The sun was setting</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fun *not fun* thing number 2: </span><span style="font-size: large;">Sauðafell Guesthouse (or </span><span style="font-size: large;">Sauðafell the town even) was NOT in the GPS</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fun *not fun* thing number</span><span style="font-size: large;"> 3: </span><span style="font-size: large;">The paved road was now a semi-paved road with potholes that could eat a watermelon whole. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We knew the general direction and began our harrowing journey.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmIQJ-b09ahZKielTnIweMtdcJNxb_miigOEakNY3ZCtUeOdIQf4MXNZrJGDOKH0yPHSFuKE0vPRhyhYYfAmXuXWsWdqKRqt8TLwKuW8-Fo8yNcJKLVlocSgrty9qJKjM-YccHe5S9a4/s1600/SAM_6411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmIQJ-b09ahZKielTnIweMtdcJNxb_miigOEakNY3ZCtUeOdIQf4MXNZrJGDOKH0yPHSFuKE0vPRhyhYYfAmXuXWsWdqKRqt8TLwKuW8-Fo8yNcJKLVlocSgrty9qJKjM-YccHe5S9a4/s640/SAM_6411.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The speed limit on the road is listed at 80k's. I maxed out at 50 with the potholes and the rain. Ugh.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztky6P7q-VWYs3-t8KF3m_tzyDAN5dR-ZSR46D1vd0KwF89CpxnRGvSqF4dQP37PHdsEbK9iEh-5D7fRPMc751HirAW7aM7zKDUxeqeS5ksW4RjPj2ozB_eCOPhL9dzIf0UZ2HwSZV90/s1600/SAM_6413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztky6P7q-VWYs3-t8KF3m_tzyDAN5dR-ZSR46D1vd0KwF89CpxnRGvSqF4dQP37PHdsEbK9iEh-5D7fRPMc751HirAW7aM7zKDUxeqeS5ksW4RjPj2ozB_eCOPhL9dzIf0UZ2HwSZV90/s640/SAM_6413.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still beautiful and worth stopping for pictures</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzR0dCkpAQ5OITyvE8zQAX5Q9pTxkJTERAf2hrwZi2newX3XrqpKw522JRuvO_Dg0ve0-3SJ5xBuKoc3ZpQ6BJa5VkClRomYYA9cqUlfomsmid5-ZKo1h4JqgzjH94fXV1S0jj-Y_i_ks/s1600/SAM_6414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzR0dCkpAQ5OITyvE8zQAX5Q9pTxkJTERAf2hrwZi2newX3XrqpKw522JRuvO_Dg0ve0-3SJ5xBuKoc3ZpQ6BJa5VkClRomYYA9cqUlfomsmid5-ZKo1h4JqgzjH94fXV1S0jj-Y_i_ks/s640/SAM_6414.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey, its getting dark. Is that a castle?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yyFycrCp1zfhuWzLCNtceYrB8yzxHR06bfMtUtxGbvo2V5ZeY6pcEGFS9aNmpIBRlCpaNhh6OgOLD9SVanaf1Rvrrzz8zDZJ6owSHCNAvYWR_NltLV0mFMGfK6yWBZUQ_IJX6novyMc/s1600/SAM_6415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yyFycrCp1zfhuWzLCNtceYrB8yzxHR06bfMtUtxGbvo2V5ZeY6pcEGFS9aNmpIBRlCpaNhh6OgOLD9SVanaf1Rvrrzz8zDZJ6owSHCNAvYWR_NltLV0mFMGfK6yWBZUQ_IJX6novyMc/s640/SAM_6415.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why is the road RED all the sudden? Is this the start of a horror movie?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqtrP2PzsQLahuTnaZlSp-l_-BFDJ64MM7xs6io-CKGoXxhyxmdQ5H4XULMQQ-OwNY4TAdD2IMw5S0fWEvffkpxcNk_AJI9oVWdZDXYcs7O_j2OY0FZFIxCbrBF5kqgxPUkMELwyVZOo/s1600/SAM_6416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqtrP2PzsQLahuTnaZlSp-l_-BFDJ64MM7xs6io-CKGoXxhyxmdQ5H4XULMQQ-OwNY4TAdD2IMw5S0fWEvffkpxcNk_AJI9oVWdZDXYcs7O_j2OY0FZFIxCbrBF5kqgxPUkMELwyVZOo/s640/SAM_6416.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still cute. Awww, look. A house and sheep!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegHRTaGFXLbdkN4GkH3WAJ2Bz11weFn716CtyYFIrx7ujQKXUqCoe_7lMRfhF1TyTQwKXGoyq347x5EGS6-HBYd91-6sL9axdF7aH69cAf0dcE-e-hPXtpO4dCL86WEVM0Q-t7aTUr6U/s1600/SAM_6417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegHRTaGFXLbdkN4GkH3WAJ2Bz11weFn716CtyYFIrx7ujQKXUqCoe_7lMRfhF1TyTQwKXGoyq347x5EGS6-HBYd91-6sL9axdF7aH69cAf0dcE-e-hPXtpO4dCL86WEVM0Q-t7aTUr6U/s640/SAM_6417.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Narrow, one lane "bridge"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIPNoMQpbotg3e_8zTZ1WjK7-GXS4uxKiuzqpnfrcvhEoHNWj8fkunk5MX1jjbp4jJ3_cXEKh1733_Ja1NNbsqWFDT8HodVivmNSOq3BfepJUzvD2Bf-80onQqQJac9XwD8ItLk2EfpM/s1600/SAM_6420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIPNoMQpbotg3e_8zTZ1WjK7-GXS4uxKiuzqpnfrcvhEoHNWj8fkunk5MX1jjbp4jJ3_cXEKh1733_Ja1NNbsqWFDT8HodVivmNSOq3BfepJUzvD2Bf-80onQqQJac9XwD8ItLk2EfpM/s640/SAM_6420.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are small potholes. I could not stop to take a picture of the large ones.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When there was no more sun, the road was not as enjoyable, but there were fun surprises. Example number 1, BIRDS decided to fly out of the grass towards my headlights (no birds were harmed in the driving of this road). Example number 2, when were "closer" we tried the GPS again and </span><span style="font-size: large;">Sauðafell came up as an option. As three or four options, actually, with all different distances. We picked the nearest one and when we arrived, by some MIRACLE, we were at the driveway to our place. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Sauðafell Guesthouse! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Up the driveway we drove, into the house we walked and there was a note telling us we were in room 4. We sacked out immediately, waking up occasionally to look out the window (hoping for Northern Lights...no luck that night).</span>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-1310412379495566532017-09-22T16:46:00.001-07:002017-09-22T16:52:25.367-07:00Reykjavik and Extreme Iceland - Glacier Wonderland (our one "tourist" activity) - Day 6Reykjavik car rental:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fy8_SMEDRLevXNUUMIiLQVIsfxMk2MQ6HJVS32BLx-QhW6pTt_XNkxg-UL89dgSweT7db4U_76d2u1akByyYmb4Zu__SB1uA_pkNPsYEBUYbeaYGuHb9fznaArrd4Vxtk5cqhVCjZdY/s1600/SAM_6163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fy8_SMEDRLevXNUUMIiLQVIsfxMk2MQ6HJVS32BLx-QhW6pTt_XNkxg-UL89dgSweT7db4U_76d2u1akByyYmb4Zu__SB1uA_pkNPsYEBUYbeaYGuHb9fznaArrd4Vxtk5cqhVCjZdY/s400/SAM_6163.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'll take the silver car, please.</td></tr>
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Reykjavik street art:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-k48olpgUXBvDscBnH2btCb7x3C88RPHlhOWBtPd_QOvHAfGd6OeELuxDpxsarz2MmeCb4eEjGDKsFQSpEkmyju6MwZhP3w_GStzr80HU0kbwTVa981YkvnWtYXXIpSrvxV1vm_zrhc4/s1600/SAM_6169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-k48olpgUXBvDscBnH2btCb7x3C88RPHlhOWBtPd_QOvHAfGd6OeELuxDpxsarz2MmeCb4eEjGDKsFQSpEkmyju6MwZhP3w_GStzr80HU0kbwTVa981YkvnWtYXXIpSrvxV1vm_zrhc4/s400/SAM_6169.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Reykjavik geothermal heating system:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-Wv8GEeVqNeQGgOE2BNY5bWfV9fGp_Dm6cyC0ZbaDeMY51V4PwTWh-8-It1TXPpSDzHq1KmbzpfZyyI7bBr7jpza_gwPooBfUJhDEWeDbs2DAcGuX0LEeIqW2LLRuQZheMwOO5N3b98/s1600/SAM_6187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-Wv8GEeVqNeQGgOE2BNY5bWfV9fGp_Dm6cyC0ZbaDeMY51V4PwTWh-8-It1TXPpSDzHq1KmbzpfZyyI7bBr7jpza_gwPooBfUJhDEWeDbs2DAcGuX0LEeIqW2LLRuQZheMwOO5N3b98/s400/SAM_6187.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That's right folks. Iceland's water is heated by the Earth. If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know I traveled to Yellowstone recently (last year) and saw geothermal activity. That's what's happening here in Iceland. They've figured out a way to channel it and pipe it into your house...or the street (as seen above). Amazing stuff really! (side note: it smells like sulfur when you shower or wash your dishes in hot water)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This morning, we woke, showered in the scent of hard boiled eggs and walked 4 minutes to Hotel (Hostel) Oddsson, where <a href="https://www.extremeiceland.is/en/destinations/highlands/glacier-wonderland" target="_blank">Extreme Iceland</a> picked us up for our one touristy adventure in Iceland. It's called Glacier Wonderland.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">An 11 hour adventure! Someone picks you up, drives you to a glacier, where another even bigger vehicle drives ON the glacier and takes you to a glacial tunnel. Then back you go. There are a few stops along the way.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbug9Lw32MHlKC2eegCNsUHuQPNxRadhVfTMDMHGprt5d0cwiQdcMkZBuasVZSzFImZnGHjg6VhFkn7DQTj69KbQ2KuJ0coFEQqbCU0R0NLYuMhyphenhyphentWjA89Iofxw2TgJP65AFnFeIoA44/s1600/IMG_9125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbug9Lw32MHlKC2eegCNsUHuQPNxRadhVfTMDMHGprt5d0cwiQdcMkZBuasVZSzFImZnGHjg6VhFkn7DQTj69KbQ2KuJ0coFEQqbCU0R0NLYuMhyphenhyphentWjA89Iofxw2TgJP65AFnFeIoA44/s400/IMG_9125.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We start off in Reykjavik, a town of 200k people (there are 300k in Iceland)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 min out of town, things get isolated</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWg0PnqKAAsOJa_72m-bSvrCsdtf2nRgT90nqr0v7qC71wDjdjXtoLFvmgo7pZam-LZ-z35audhOYX53VyybZN_8Lw4w6UtCrLk9gOnZ-AZBdPVD3cF5zEtvFbp1595SZnLHYmUFcy68/s1600/IMG_9127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWg0PnqKAAsOJa_72m-bSvrCsdtf2nRgT90nqr0v7qC71wDjdjXtoLFvmgo7pZam-LZ-z35audhOYX53VyybZN_8Lw4w6UtCrLk9gOnZ-AZBdPVD3cF5zEtvFbp1595SZnLHYmUFcy68/s400/IMG_9127.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And geothermal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZS2LJvWVX2rK1MMOX9D4_Kxm6dsOvms4aY6qrpFV1wi4LXwDXGUqW9FZ5ayzPhOtn_vUMeQg59yNWfnglOLhrG1wS3-fNozJBLZ0QrVtSg8RCcoRlufn7Gc02_AO1sThTnhLwmP8MgH4/s1600/IMG_9128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZS2LJvWVX2rK1MMOX9D4_Kxm6dsOvms4aY6qrpFV1wi4LXwDXGUqW9FZ5ayzPhOtn_vUMeQg59yNWfnglOLhrG1wS3-fNozJBLZ0QrVtSg8RCcoRlufn7Gc02_AO1sThTnhLwmP8MgH4/s400/IMG_9128.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first stop is a lava waterfall</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbTpPov5wk-qycqp5qCNwlvcfEeiVXHMEfVdFJryuytxXBuFR9-QiKHGvlnGMQmTaIFAznaL2jhhDWybaWs8suyBJYMpTu-VvSzKu1iRSkYfh8QoOy0eQ5maAWU-GgZiuuykosYYozcM/s1600/IMG_9129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbTpPov5wk-qycqp5qCNwlvcfEeiVXHMEfVdFJryuytxXBuFR9-QiKHGvlnGMQmTaIFAznaL2jhhDWybaWs8suyBJYMpTu-VvSzKu1iRSkYfh8QoOy0eQ5maAWU-GgZiuuykosYYozcM/s400/IMG_9129.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegetation is sparse (so we think)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnkMRrAhHlQ_UZKtdYM1_ZyrOa2CASXoIO2kPlHXhhMdcjWp_DypAn5Vj1WmeG27Vr_MZ1s01qXENJClpNgBPltUNQfoLT27TLn8L_ex99rAHzxdklSU8i7VdOPq0RJYBKBfHrTt52_c/s1600/IMG_9131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnkMRrAhHlQ_UZKtdYM1_ZyrOa2CASXoIO2kPlHXhhMdcjWp_DypAn5Vj1WmeG27Vr_MZ1s01qXENJClpNgBPltUNQfoLT27TLn8L_ex99rAHzxdklSU8i7VdOPq0RJYBKBfHrTt52_c/s400/IMG_9131.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGWxrqUBRV3uQ8QDqVsUoIBrtd6w5mXzb7vLCh1zVsUV6mAeiBBINdmjph8ol4j80k4iWHbM12fShHCvse2EcfxsxWWcmtQBH9byTNb0KkVfRqT7mWYzngltx_-l2nuNmazEL2MJpPkk/s1600/IMG_9134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1600" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGWxrqUBRV3uQ8QDqVsUoIBrtd6w5mXzb7vLCh1zVsUV6mAeiBBINdmjph8ol4j80k4iWHbM12fShHCvse2EcfxsxWWcmtQBH9byTNb0KkVfRqT7mWYzngltx_-l2nuNmazEL2MJpPkk/s400/IMG_9134.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The waterfall is between two levels of lava. Rain falls through the top layer which is very porous, and then can't penetrate the older, more solid later.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lw1RX_lnSFg1E6YGfANV5GUk6RQI5Mc_LRFMSxa7zDEFtcOKFs7Vv_WLUNiUuWFSDoZcKi3yJ-k2H1U5PDlRurydY4WfLCl7NTCiyUkAiVa0aJ5LT1VHrpqvXzcXL2Ua-Ono3XB_t0Q/s1600/SAM_6191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lw1RX_lnSFg1E6YGfANV5GUk6RQI5Mc_LRFMSxa7zDEFtcOKFs7Vv_WLUNiUuWFSDoZcKi3yJ-k2H1U5PDlRurydY4WfLCl7NTCiyUkAiVa0aJ5LT1VHrpqvXzcXL2Ua-Ono3XB_t0Q/s400/SAM_6191.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYQ6JjS-TlwcHTRLsFxaJJy82l-e75D38dGsPZ6mgUth26X_kK_2WpzS5i8NADe0PP-7myMk2F4hy1Auu-96WyMZUsc64qY6byx51LUQEC_iPySnJ557amw60xccKs8I4JLaBoE-cGf4/s1600/SAM_6219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYQ6JjS-TlwcHTRLsFxaJJy82l-e75D38dGsPZ6mgUth26X_kK_2WpzS5i8NADe0PP-7myMk2F4hy1Auu-96WyMZUsc64qY6byx51LUQEC_iPySnJ557amw60xccKs8I4JLaBoE-cGf4/s640/SAM_6219.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4QTjIEA6b2GVBRj8QbDJavemH2jbMopIDH7_xKLtXEPfwlr8OjUFqocGObg_dR-vHP1XQuNdjmC4NXf5Hso-shBmomgJnbcRD93HY9UJFH8k_AvSvOlK6IaxuPEzhyjikm8OLeqI7Eo/s1600/SAM_6223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4QTjIEA6b2GVBRj8QbDJavemH2jbMopIDH7_xKLtXEPfwlr8OjUFqocGObg_dR-vHP1XQuNdjmC4NXf5Hso-shBmomgJnbcRD93HY9UJFH8k_AvSvOlK6IaxuPEzhyjikm8OLeqI7Eo/s400/SAM_6223.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">After our first stop at the lava waterfall, we continue on to a quick lunch/bathroom stop before driving a vegetatively barren path (I can't say "road") to the glacier. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPk1hZyrMlbV3AUnb3q0g5eHPKt7uKTflbW1FRtIBZmtLF7PiyAxwUxu395ITvLzd_Al8u2k7-nenYHPoF14PXJi9yDCAwThiZ3z9zaaKZ0L8-6_1yr8wslNWiOlQ2xcR_3g3y7myoAM/s1600/IMG_9145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPk1hZyrMlbV3AUnb3q0g5eHPKt7uKTflbW1FRtIBZmtLF7PiyAxwUxu395ITvLzd_Al8u2k7-nenYHPoF14PXJi9yDCAwThiZ3z9zaaKZ0L8-6_1yr8wslNWiOlQ2xcR_3g3y7myoAM/s400/IMG_9145.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4k0W781tkydDhi1e7XNG1y0TsI3gtH-CJaD6d-7sU0jXY1MpxlapZaU2emSSCY3udEJ0ElXNtui0s6xAOYinQCR_rR7qaoUj0UIud1oz-aJxTNTxlPzJFt4Lii1_IJva71kBLlwbHD3s/s1600/IMG_9146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4k0W781tkydDhi1e7XNG1y0TsI3gtH-CJaD6d-7sU0jXY1MpxlapZaU2emSSCY3udEJ0ElXNtui0s6xAOYinQCR_rR7qaoUj0UIud1oz-aJxTNTxlPzJFt4Lii1_IJva71kBLlwbHD3s/s400/IMG_9146.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8argaY1M5V26WtR807_zqC0K3FNBSz7hO62fXM6l2fw4pZDj1VaMpYicrDZ4ccOqJWARAtEqqjqtPXq-27rDgkHMBFBlzPVq0NVy8ijzr6VfBzKf5nZuY9_8ZI-SIq8hvZTvYL7yMt0/s1600/IMG_9171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8argaY1M5V26WtR807_zqC0K3FNBSz7hO62fXM6l2fw4pZDj1VaMpYicrDZ4ccOqJWARAtEqqjqtPXq-27rDgkHMBFBlzPVq0NVy8ijzr6VfBzKf5nZuY9_8ZI-SIq8hvZTvYL7yMt0/s400/IMG_9171.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let me say that this "road" feels very one way. Though we share it with oncoming traffic, more than once my heart jumped into my throat.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0A_Imoq_60it8VFIcuDLWhb6UKdt-c9mZQrxWGTaYjbfYBGh7vTW9Ngu4uz6wC9eNK9kQN6qecoVBHubp-pfiRMDaVeK7vYYmdffEW4lRj5EbS1ytNkJ4cdb3IbxUL7DB0ZEL58aOZn8/s1600/IMG_9172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0A_Imoq_60it8VFIcuDLWhb6UKdt-c9mZQrxWGTaYjbfYBGh7vTW9Ngu4uz6wC9eNK9kQN6qecoVBHubp-pfiRMDaVeK7vYYmdffEW4lRj5EbS1ytNkJ4cdb3IbxUL7DB0ZEL58aOZn8/s320/IMG_9172.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">After 30 minutes on a rocky, unstable, occasionally terrifying road, we arrive at "base camp." It is here we don the fancy warm clothes we purchased before our trip (that I thought would be unnecessary, but were TOTALLY necessary -- Thank you, Krista!). Waterproof pants, hand warmers and waterproof boots (which I rented).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1ZO3IrVvYRLbF240CuN0nBMsSfJbBYU33wZoUDrLlS_lVHwwIveus2BM6phJ6P85cDok6lVLRQaMqR6hNjMOyLlT1NtY2xNIIDy1_W9HXXqF5D73rf8-7OTU9F2cou_DXLaI8OcaBbk/s1600/SAM_6300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1ZO3IrVvYRLbF240CuN0nBMsSfJbBYU33wZoUDrLlS_lVHwwIveus2BM6phJ6P85cDok6lVLRQaMqR6hNjMOyLlT1NtY2xNIIDy1_W9HXXqF5D73rf8-7OTU9F2cou_DXLaI8OcaBbk/s400/SAM_6300.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGs2YwPCb8WvFGv3EvAtZW8avBffRmCaRZt5E17ooN_oxyz5VFqktPdALIGrWfQxwvFsnFFs6x-Kgnf_nXPawEGLEfSc4xmJBkPi1fujmlZrA0h3Qi2pjxAh27j0u59gOWX0phDQZoFw/s1600/SAM_6303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGs2YwPCb8WvFGv3EvAtZW8avBffRmCaRZt5E17ooN_oxyz5VFqktPdALIGrWfQxwvFsnFFs6x-Kgnf_nXPawEGLEfSc4xmJBkPi1fujmlZrA0h3Qi2pjxAh27j0u59gOWX0phDQZoFw/s400/SAM_6303.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This vehicle "super truck" is equip with inflatable, deflatable tires. While driving on a glacier, you want your tires deflated to a certain level (there's an app for this) so you don't dig into the ice and snow as much as you would with fully inflated tires.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The truck itself was 0 degrees Celsius (freezing point - 32 degrees Fahrenheit). This was WONDERFUL, because we were basically wearing all the clothes we brought on the trip. I think I was wearing five layers (undershirt, Oregon Trail "You have died of dysentery" t-shirt, American Giant zip-up hoodie, 32 Degree puffy jacket and then a waterproof/wind breaker. I also had hand warmer packs, gloves, scarf and hat. I wasn't screwing around. And I have to tell you...I was the perfect temperature. We took like 10 pictures trying to capture the fact that we could see our breath. You're going to have to trust us. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWwpEnQI8NSG9_7ODmd-9zr6Jcu9IMsg4nfhW8Sbo_ia_In7rmb-MD_l6x546f7vOJCYKxiX2jQQYc-jQ0MCCjjqWgBUyxHnzBNN3LX0P7ohIivM1nc19oo8tLUAgyB3DLpTFnbEb81U/s1600/IMG_9180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWwpEnQI8NSG9_7ODmd-9zr6Jcu9IMsg4nfhW8Sbo_ia_In7rmb-MD_l6x546f7vOJCYKxiX2jQQYc-jQ0MCCjjqWgBUyxHnzBNN3LX0P7ohIivM1nc19oo8tLUAgyB3DLpTFnbEb81U/s400/IMG_9180.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6kpM1ZQ83U8T64qA-r7ih4lfoVHhBMoCU_Vj82f2Nf-WXvU0W7gqVH27iEaRRGSmKgvtwhDdPyW9domQhz5TPiUpR5B-MzC5FSJ8AlhnmZr4r3TGU1OZKiI4DSs0nMcMh-YY7tEV7VQ/s1600/IMG_9183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6kpM1ZQ83U8T64qA-r7ih4lfoVHhBMoCU_Vj82f2Nf-WXvU0W7gqVH27iEaRRGSmKgvtwhDdPyW9domQhz5TPiUpR5B-MzC5FSJ8AlhnmZr4r3TGU1OZKiI4DSs0nMcMh-YY7tEV7VQ/s320/IMG_9183.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The super truck thing drove 20-30 minutes up the glacier. For maybe 10 minutes, we had a view of snow/glacier, then we lost all vision with a white out. This was not great for my motion sickness, so I closed my eyes. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">At our stopping point, we disembarked into a STRONG wind with biting snow and slowly made our way into the glacier tunnel.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kZ2oR4yuXyAYyLqFJwcVJ8X4TbD0_em-brRo2Xpo439ukB89puc6E3Wlk-qf2mnCo_7Ah2BLqsNaS4tjkmLtIYEny-PE8Mglc37uu-7GMPxM07GemwMwjnAUpMc5TjJr2BN7RrlN21M/s1600/SAM_6234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kZ2oR4yuXyAYyLqFJwcVJ8X4TbD0_em-brRo2Xpo439ukB89puc6E3Wlk-qf2mnCo_7Ah2BLqsNaS4tjkmLtIYEny-PE8Mglc37uu-7GMPxM07GemwMwjnAUpMc5TjJr2BN7RrlN21M/s400/SAM_6234.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Tour Guide</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_y0mEK0h2GDfROY1VLHj0T_jAf-rpoxCVZkikQ4ppsvyyvmyNQfXOMSrC1t8DAIXA8MAm_USU64HDyD3jttd3vYg9aGkhz_YxZbA2OGv6A82x7NLTfqmAyXE7VeHz3qdfQ6ZHeOXDdFg/s1600/SAM_6238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_y0mEK0h2GDfROY1VLHj0T_jAf-rpoxCVZkikQ4ppsvyyvmyNQfXOMSrC1t8DAIXA8MAm_USU64HDyD3jttd3vYg9aGkhz_YxZbA2OGv6A82x7NLTfqmAyXE7VeHz3qdfQ6ZHeOXDdFg/s400/SAM_6238.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance of the tunnel<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">About 30 feet into the tunnel we were given crampons to help us walk in the snow. We later learned that the tunnel was opened in 2015 and the area we received our crampons was the original entrance. Glaciers move and creep over time, y'all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />For the next hour, we were led through a series of tunnels. All were lit with LED lights because it would be pitch black otherwise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They dug out a room to be the chapel, which was something like 45 meters under ice/snow and had an amazing sound (here is an Icelandic song about children and innocence).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the glacier shenanigans, we exited back into the biting wind and snow. Escaped into the super truck. And head back on the bus to Reykjavik. On the way, we stopped the "most powerful geothermal" area on Earth (debatable). We did see a cute (possibly abandoned dog who seemed to want to come on the bus with us.) Then back to Reykjavik, where we did some laundry (so much harder than you expect when all settings are in Icelandic!)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very possibly where Interstellar was filmed!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geothermal magic (under construction, so it didn't seem like much)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi cute doggie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take me with you Human.</td></tr>
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sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-48832641918184632552017-09-22T14:42:00.002-07:002017-09-22T14:42:05.701-07:00Juvet to Alesund, Oslo, then Reykjavik - Day 5<span style="font-size: large;">When I was a little kid, I learned that Reykjavik was the northern most capital in the world and I spent time learning out to spell it. I'm proud to still be able to spell it today (thanks to spell check).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, I had a good night's sleep! I woke up twice, very briefly. Once at 1:30am, worrying that I missed my alarm, and once at 3ish when I got up on my own, knowing that we had to be in the car, on the road by 4am to make our 7am flight out of Alesund. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The kind folks at Juvet left us sandwiches in the fridge for our long day. We also had oranges and the best apple juice of our lives!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I'm going to keep a lot of this short, so I can TRY to catch up to today (technically I've been in Reykjavik for two days already).</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Drove for 2 hours in the pitch black</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">AMAZING STARS in the sky</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Saw wildlife for the first time in Norway: Deer, fox and a kitty cat</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Saw the gnarliest roadkill of my life. It probably used to be a deer. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Alesund airport automation (checked in myself, my bags, on boarding for the plane)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Layover in Oslo, blogged one post</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Krista bought Duty Free and a pastry: vanilla bun (sugary and delicious)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Slept on the flight from Oslo to Reykjavik</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After arrival in Reykjavik (no customs, no stamp), we were met at the arrivals area by our car rental company. They drove us to their location (warehouse, parking lot, dodgy AF). We signed stuff and got a USED car. The car is dented, "broken" and chipped to hell. All of which I'm great with, because I've heard the road in Iceland can be rocky and rough. My favorite part of this car were the zip ties holding on ALL of the hubcaps. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We drove to Reykjavik, got settled in our airbnb and it was only 1pm!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From 3:30am-1pm seemed like such a long time, but we still had a whole day ahead available to us. We walked to a local burger joint, walked to downtown Reykjavik, shopped at cute touristy places, sat in pews at a church and then head back to the airbnb for wi-fi. We located a nearby grocery store, grabbed some provisions and head back to the airbnb (again), where I promptly fell asleep around 6:30pm. I have vague recollections of Krista calling her dad to wish him a happy birthday (Happy Birthday, Alan!) and then I woke up at 7:30am! Guess I was done with that day.</span></div>
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Fueling up</div>
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Run away from aircraft!</div>
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13 Yule Lads of Iceland</div>
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There are NO polar bears in Iceland</div>
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Nice church</div>
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sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-52769493389220698282017-09-22T14:00:00.002-07:002017-09-22T14:07:11.676-07:00Juvet and Gieranger (aka two mistakes but ultimately wins!) - Day 4<span style="font-size: large;">On Sept 20, we had dinner plans in a nearby town. It was our only agenda item for the day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The night before, I had a short, interrupted and jet laggy night's sleep. This did allow me to take a time lapse video of the sunrise (as described in a previous post).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had breakfast, took a couple of pictures from around the Juvet grounds and then I took a nap for two hours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the nap, we decided to check out of our room at Juvet before heading to <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geiranger" target="_blank">Geiranger Norway</a> for dinner, since we had to leave at 4am the following morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mistake #1: I checked out, swiped my credit card for like a hundred thousand Kroner or something and then checked the total cost on xe.com. "Hey," I said to Krista, "it is a lot more than I was expecting." We looked at the website and hadn't realized that the price for the room was per person.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a funny feeling like, "I wish I'd known, because I would have appreciated it more." But that's a silly thought. I appreciated the HELL out of this place. The room was awesome, the view was unbeatable, hike was amazing, food delicious, etc etc etc. In the end, we realized we would not have booked it, if we'd read the website correctly, but we're thrilled we got to stay here and CAN afford it, with some doing. Happy accident #1.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ok, off to dinner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The GPS told us that Geiranger (a UNESCO World Heritage site) was about an hour away. Ok, a little longer than we expected a "nearby" town to be, but it'll be worth it. I mean, everything we see is flipping gorgeous. There must be a kaboobillion trees in Norway. So green and lush. So beautiful! An hour is fine! So, we drive for 30 minutes and it says to exit left down a road...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mistake #2: A ferry! Oh, crap. The ferry is here, people are lined up to board. Does this cost money? We don't have any Kroner. Is this the right ferry? Do we want to find another route to the town? Oh, they're leaving. We missed it. "Let's blow off dinner and drive around." I do a quick lap around the parking area and we find that there is no other route to Geiranger. We decide to be brave and take the ferry when it comes back...in 30 minutes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We boarded the ferry first, paid with card (something like $14 each way) and didn't think twice about it.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First in line<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The drive to Geiranger was STUNNING, windy (like curvy), and fun.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little rainbow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grass roofs (that word doesn't seem right to me). It's making a comeback!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Geiranger is a cute waterside (fjord-side) town. Most shops were closed because we arrived after 4 (shutting your shop at 4 or 5pm is a thing in Norway!). We walked to a local waterfall, had a yummy dinner and head back to the ferry....after spending something like $60 on chocolate. We shopped while hungry (semi-mistake, but worth it!). Flavors were: Blue Cheese chocolate, brown cheese, beer, whisky, etc. I mean, how could you pass it up?!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geiranger fjord</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Side note about a town nearby. In </span><span style="font-size: large;">January 1905, a huge chunk of the mountain broke off dropping 870,000 tons of scree (rock, gravel and dirt) into the fjord. It caused a tsunami with a 40 meter wave (120 feet). It swept away ALL the houses in that town. A tourist boat was washed 350m inland (about 1,150 feed). A bunch of people, cows, horses and pigs were killed. The mountain is still unstable to this day and they predict another incident like this happening in Geirginger the future, completely wiping out the town.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Back to Juvet to pack our bags and sleep.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traffic on our way back up the switchback road</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trolls are be here! I think I mentioned that, right?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95gzw-o1PLHc4Z15RIRRfpZ0gVorc0N-pnNOeyZaklVW87ujaiKgZhmscGRyjeBPLVoQQGomctpaCmH9mBFcMVJA6tWN4R6wUfoLgLqwEWq2OXJvIPN2_K56XQ11dwcpL-GEiwJzm2uE/s1600/SAM_6139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95gzw-o1PLHc4Z15RIRRfpZ0gVorc0N-pnNOeyZaklVW87ujaiKgZhmscGRyjeBPLVoQQGomctpaCmH9mBFcMVJA6tWN4R6wUfoLgLqwEWq2OXJvIPN2_K56XQ11dwcpL-GEiwJzm2uE/s640/SAM_6139.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am the goat whisperer!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-18939767502619006962017-09-22T12:47:00.004-07:002017-09-22T12:54:21.819-07:00Olav's Trail, Nap and Dinner - Day 3<span style="font-size: large;">It's been three days since day three and I'm starting to forget things. Last night I slept about 14 hours, so I think I might have enough energy to help catch up. (I read this out loud to Krista and she heartily laughed. "I'm LOOKING at you." She said. I am exhausted. Every day is busier than the last and I looooooove it, but yeah, no amount of sleep can help me catch up.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Let me expand on Olav's trail a little (though I won't add more pictures as I posted them in the last entry). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I will start by saying, in Norway, there are VERY few signs warning you not to do a thing. When we stepped off the plane in Alesund, there were no cones or signs on the tarmac pointing the way. No employee making sure you go where you're supposed to. Norway's culture is a culture of trust. Trust that you're going to be a grown up about life. Get off the plane, GO INTO THE AIRPORT. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Everything is automated too. At the Oslo airport, we checked ourselves in, we scanned our bag tag and dropped them off, we went through security (the only place where we had contact with a human (who confiscated our jam) - they were not screaming to take off your shoes or not bring liquids through...you're supposed to be a GROWN UP and handle it - we scanned our boarding passes and went through the gate to board the plane...no one takes your ticket and scans it for you because that's a waste of time and money.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, when we hiked Olav's trail, there were no signs telling you where not to go. There was one sign telling you, "Hey this is Olav's Trail," we can only assume and then there were markers letting you know you were on the right path. At two points, we felt like MAYBE there weren't enough signs, like "Hey, I know we just dumped you on this ROAD in the middle of the hike, you're supposed to cross and go by this person's house to stay on the path," or maybe, "don't go in the raging white water," but then again...grown ups.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It was a lovely trail. There were sheep at the beginning, horses towards the end, rocks and roots to climb over or around. There was mud, but not too much. There were beautiful views all around (see pictures from yesterday's post). I was perky and peppy the whole time. Loved every second of that walk. I especially loved the manmade ladder leaning on a HUGE bolder. I climbed 3/4 up, before I chickened out. But I could see that atop the bolder someone had fashioned a fort with a tarp. I imagine the local teenagers using it to escape their house and get high or snuggle with their date.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">After the two hour hike, we napped hard. Later that evening, we had a three course dinner in the main house at Juvet. We met some really nice people, who all seemed successful in their lives. Nick and Lou (probably short of Louise) were from London. Nick worked for a news organization that focused on sports and had a strong ethic not to post gossip, but only to focus on stats and positive stories. Lou had been a travel editor. Barry, who sat next to Krista, was a travel writer and author in his own right. He was an Aussie from a suburb of Sydney, so we had a few things to talk about (Sydney and writing). There was a young man a ways down the table to was talking about touring. He was a DJ/Musician, who had written three songs on Lady Gaga's album (not sure which album). We looked him up and one of his songs had 68 million listens on Spotify. Madeon. Pretty interesting group of people.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The food was delicious. </span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Cod fish marinated in sugar, salt and a little gin (which is why I loved it and Krista didn't), basil cream and a pickled red onion</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Small cup of potato puree, chili and dill oil - you were to sip it from the cup like soup. It had a HECK of a kick, but was delicious!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Tenderloin of reindeer, onion and carrot puree in ginger and orange juice, celery root, coriander, turnips, all with a blue berry sauce</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Dessert was a lemon creme brulee with a biscuit base and blueberry sorbet on the side.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">All items were locally sourced. I'd never had reindeer before and, I can honestly say, I think it is my favorite ever meat. It is like beef with a slight gaminess (only slight) but easy to chew and so flavorful!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqbF9rwf5F8J4bEg5L_Q7dgVYEAZFU_ZIoP-RXE-jtAPYii2yxcwXk0BkGs_z-5qASymtm6C0vbG8UsF87HrfbtvpzW7YOxLlxwkGQM-tb6NosvJghiywaC1fPhcg25JA5a0pcJv1ivw/s1600/IMG_8968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqbF9rwf5F8J4bEg5L_Q7dgVYEAZFU_ZIoP-RXE-jtAPYii2yxcwXk0BkGs_z-5qASymtm6C0vbG8UsF87HrfbtvpzW7YOxLlxwkGQM-tb6NosvJghiywaC1fPhcg25JA5a0pcJv1ivw/s400/IMG_8968.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potato and chili soup thing. Yum!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl49fs6HWsfg2K4Ly2WqCigj_EB8Vr74Xnj-4kUrtjOkNFyRKDgX5KtYYpLE1B7ZKd9FcqTkY5Fdr6ufTJK6lY4SOkQnBdknQsdQwqOgOsADKNBdDGtqJjGhk2Dz67o2LCeuIbuA367A/s1600/IMG_8970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl49fs6HWsfg2K4Ly2WqCigj_EB8Vr74Xnj-4kUrtjOkNFyRKDgX5KtYYpLE1B7ZKd9FcqTkY5Fdr6ufTJK6lY4SOkQnBdknQsdQwqOgOsADKNBdDGtqJjGhk2Dz67o2LCeuIbuA367A/s400/IMG_8970.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reindeer of deliciousness</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlUiKJFBFtypABkyuZehLE-TyjEEGOVIgJl3LBmhmOwHHyfyL2gyYmAoW4djnY1z7YqZr2KK9kmmy3ElsRcf4qJJmog3P9aBvic4bdednFIikG6nYeaj7ffOzoWx2U0zeka1u9RZYUj4/s1600/IMG_8971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlUiKJFBFtypABkyuZehLE-TyjEEGOVIgJl3LBmhmOwHHyfyL2gyYmAoW4djnY1z7YqZr2KK9kmmy3ElsRcf4qJJmog3P9aBvic4bdednFIikG6nYeaj7ffOzoWx2U0zeka1u9RZYUj4/s400/IMG_8971.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They can't all be great pictures (she's still cute though)</td></tr>
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sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-53749535331784673742017-09-21T00:58:00.002-07:002017-09-21T00:58:26.746-07:00Rewind - Day 3 Juvet Landscape Hotel and Olav's trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our first night at Juvet, we arrived after dark. We checked in while guests were finding seats around a long family-style table for dinner. There were no parking spots available so I was told to park next to a black car with a big "AVIS" decal on the door. The very tall Norwegian who checked us in, walked us through the main room of, what I'm going to call the big house, and out the back door, down a set of stairs. He said, "these are your keys. This is a torch," meaning flashlight, "and that is your room." He pointed the torch down a gravel path, shining the light on three birch trees. "Your room is behind those three trees. You can pull your car up to this spot and empty your luggage, but you will have to walk it the rest of the way."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we got to the three trees on our narrow path to the front door, we saw that one of the trees was right in the middle of the path and the only way to the door was the climb over the roots and around the trees. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I reparked, settled into the room and went to blog in the big house. Krista joined me on an adjacent couch to read a book. It was darkly lit with a red fabric chandelier (I'm sure there's a better description for that, but I have no design training/knowledge/skill). There was a fire going and a few tall candles around the room. The room felt like a mix between a farm house, bordello and intimate restaurant. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Krista went back to the room for some sleep after a long day and I stayed to finish the blog until dinner was done and everyone retreated to their rooms. It was 10:30pm local time. I was looking forward to an amazing night's sleep and an incredible morning where the Juvet grounds would be revealed by the sun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At 3:30am Krista and I woke up. There was no falling back to sleep with this kind of jet lag. After an hour or so, we decided to grab our comforters and sit in the Eames chairs positioned in front of a floor to ceiling window. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sunrise wasn't until 7:06am.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The thing about the Juvet Landscape Hotel, from my understanding, is that the buildings/rooms were built to have minimal impact on the land. No one dug into the Earth to create a foundation. The rooms are built on super strong steal pipes/beams, leaving a very small footprint. The walls are dark wood, two walls are entirely windows (floor to ceiling, as I mentioned). The lighting is intentional (and lousy for actually seeing anything). The goal is to draw your attention to nature. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhgdDIp9TXLRtJpLGNIKmx4hR0DJ2MjL6wKpFfl78s58vvF-Lc6SLLHGkWXsxNka_O5raJEvuc_cGILVrqioBxfxOYYuwJ5h0bxCsTgD4iJDoWp3g5MP9IP0yIIo95LdLb4gQEpi2ipg/s1600/SAM_5972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhgdDIp9TXLRtJpLGNIKmx4hR0DJ2MjL6wKpFfl78s58vvF-Lc6SLLHGkWXsxNka_O5raJEvuc_cGILVrqioBxfxOYYuwJ5h0bxCsTgD4iJDoWp3g5MP9IP0yIIo95LdLb4gQEpi2ipg/s640/SAM_5972.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our room</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Interesting side note, the bathroom, which was pained canary yellow, was one room. That doesn't explain it. Let's say you pull open the frosted glass door, "Whoa! Yellow" you say. Then you see a sink on your right, toilet in front of you, tall narrow window in the far left corner. "Wait, where is the shower?" When you turn to leave the bathroom you see next to the door a shower head. I did not take a picture of it, which I regret, but I'll see if I can find something later to show you. It is at this moment, you realize there is no wall or curtain to separate the shower from the sink or the toilet, the yellow walls are waterproof, the towels, toilet paper and hairdryer are all on the far left of the bathroom on a shelf under the sink...out of reach of the water from the shower head. Very clever. Very interesting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Right, back to jet lag.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At 3:30, when we first woke up, it was pitch black. We could hear a river running outside through the vents on either side of the bed. Vents to let in fresh air and the sounds of nature.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For about an hour, we tried to go back to sleep. We got hungry and each had a banana. Krista tried watching a show on her tablet. Around 5 or 5:30, we could see light out of the window 5 feet from the foot of the bed. This is when we wrapped ourselves in the comforters and got comfy in front of the other window, deciding to watch the day wake up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As light began to illuminate our view, trees first took shape out of the blackness. Once fully defined, they became black themselves while light shone through their leaves and around their trunks. Krista said, "I wonder how much light it will take to see color. For the trees to turn from black to green." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We sat as still as the trees. There was no wind. No leaves moved. No birds. No branches swayed. It looked like a two dimensional pencil drawing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A river appeared. White and apparently still though we could hear it rushing. After a time, we could stare above the river itself and see it's movement. If you looked right at it, you couldn't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At 6:30am we saw first movement. One bird passing by.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">At 6:37am the trees changed from black to green.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Shortly after, the autumn colors showed themselves. Orange and red in the distance. The river started looking a little blue. We could see moss and make out ferns.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The sun wasn't due to rise for another 30 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">At 6:46am the sun warmed the trees a little and leaves started to fall.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">At 6:54am the colors deepened.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">At 6:58am the first bird song of the day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because we were in a valley, there was no grand reveal of sun at sunrise. We stirred and woke like the nature around us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After breakfast, we were told of a hike in the area that should take an hour. It started at the end of the driveway and went in a loop. Olav's trail. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">-- Reality here -- I am in the Oslo airport waiting to board a flight to Reykjavik and am running out of time and wi-fi to dive into Olav's trail. I will quickly summarize. </span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">STUNNING</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">At times tricky to navigate</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">It took 2 hours</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">No camera on Earth can capture how beautiful, unique and amazing it was</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Standouts: vegetation and fungus, hills/mountains, fog/clouds, mud, rocks, fresh air...just everything.</span></li>
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sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-52657598298531051192017-09-19T13:24:00.000-07:002017-09-19T13:24:08.563-07:00Juvet Landscape Hotel and Olav's Path - Day 3<span style="font-size: large;">This morning, jet lag hit us hard and we both woke up at 3:30am. I'm going to give the super ultra condenced version of today due to extreme exhaustion and a filling dinner.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">For at least two hours, we watched the sun light up the nature outside our floor to ceiling windows while sitting in Eames chairs while wrapped in big fluffy comforters. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Went for a quick walk around the Juvet Landscape hotel grounds</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Ate breakfast and packed lunch for later</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Went for a 2 hour hike at Olav's trail</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Napped for 3 hours</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Played a game in the hotel room while we woke up</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Enjoyed a three course meal at Juvet in a family style setting. Talked to two travel writers and a sports writer/editor/something fancy</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was a long, amazing day. The scnery was unlike anything I've seen and it cound not be captured by camera. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tomorrow morning, if I get a good night's sleep, I will blog this in much greater detail.</span></div>
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sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205378463507331319.post-85206950187829939022017-09-18T13:30:00.000-07:002017-09-18T20:06:32.016-07:00Oslo to Ålesund to The Juvet Landscape Hotel - Day 2<span style="font-size: large;">"What day is it," asked Pooh. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"It's today," said Piglet. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"My favorite day," said Pooh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">There are a couple of things I am aiming to do every </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">day while on vacation. The first is to do my physical therapy exercises. That might be a blog post itself at some point.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The second is to meditate. I recently took a course at work on energy levels and focus. One of the things I learned is to take time out of your day just for you. Take a break. An honest to God break. I downloaded the app "Calm" which has different guided meditation. This morning's meditation was based on Winnie the Pooh. Specifically, The Tao of Pooh (an excellent book that I've read a couple of times). Specifically, Wu Wei, the Taoist principle of "not doing". Letting your life take it's course without over thinking or over complicating it. If you haven't read The Tao of Pooh, you should go do that right now.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Waking up this morning was quite difficult, after having been up until midnight last night with the blog. It was totally worth it though</span><span style="font-size: small;">! And starting the day by laying in bed, meditating to Pooh Bear, well, that was just the right medication for me.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">So, at 7:30am our alarm went off and at 8:30am we had breakfast with Chuck and Dag. Breakfast was a typical buffet style with eggs, bacon, fruit juice, yogurt. Then there was the Scandinavian twist of brown cheese and different fish options like mackerel and kaviar (a spread that comes in a big tube), pickles, olives, liver pate, very pink salami other meats, cheeses and bread. There was instant coffee available as well. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Side note here: One of our big treats back home is a fortnightly (bi-monthly / twice monthly) delivery of Blue Bottle coffee. It is one of the happiest times of our month, especially for Krista who has a penchant for good coffee. I won't say she can't function without coffee in the morning, but she is certainly MUCH happier WITH a cup in her hand first thing. So, we decided to treat ourselves on this trip and bring a bag of ground Blue Bottle coffee with a pour over coffee maker, so Krista could brew some guaranteed good coffee first thing in the morning. And there she was, like a barista-for-one, brewing her tasty coffee next to a plate of brown cheese (which has the consistency of a slice of peanut butter) and waffles with nutella. I was very proud. Treat Yo Self, girl!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">After breakfast, we found out that Dag would be our tour guide for the day. Last night, Krista had mentioned a park she'd seen on <a href="http://www.atlasobscura.com/" target="_blank">Atlas Obscura</a> - Go to this website and see what cool things are near you! First stop, <a href="http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/vigeland-sculpture-park" target="_blank">Vigeland Park</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">This park is full of visually stunning and controversial sculptures. Apparently, it is a story of life - beginning to end, representing also the challenges of life - general struggles of man, having children and fighting dragons...like you do. The women fair much better against dragons than the men. Guess we know how to handle ourselves.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I was completely in my element at this park. I love sculptures and I was not disappointed. (More photos to come for the below - Krista took some stunning photos that haven't copied to my tablet correctly)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, there was a monolith of a pile of bodies.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaaRG4atIi4skkFKp4S4CZlvZLCzfoxJCEO-kAk6ldhIGGmnu3wQYOvOABQzrwwcQeP-UczNXe6PUVULVty1JRBtvO_piUonVghBVGafFTaX76IqKhsXaWNy9fjX1x6_8FLYrLeYEr_I/s1600/2017-09-18+12.28.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaaRG4atIi4skkFKp4S4CZlvZLCzfoxJCEO-kAk6ldhIGGmnu3wQYOvOABQzrwwcQeP-UczNXe6PUVULVty1JRBtvO_piUonVghBVGafFTaX76IqKhsXaWNy9fjX1x6_8FLYrLeYEr_I/s640/2017-09-18+12.28.24.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After running around the park, we stopped a grocery store to see what fun food they have. We also grabbed some lunch before heading out on the metro to pick up our bags from the hotel. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGs4Mz3KwoRNxe2W0OukztVBnGZJKlP9v-SubOIb23u2VksTka82EsQ1i8MNv3pUzLNGoTQsaKDZwIsuw38sL7GaXJzg12GAK4QW6o31Eu5lPoOTrxDXDDBgx9-prx-5ZzvfXwffiJzo/s1600/IMG_8763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGs4Mz3KwoRNxe2W0OukztVBnGZJKlP9v-SubOIb23u2VksTka82EsQ1i8MNv3pUzLNGoTQsaKDZwIsuw38sL7GaXJzg12GAK4QW6o31Eu5lPoOTrxDXDDBgx9-prx-5ZzvfXwffiJzo/s320/IMG_8763.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jam that was promptly confiscated at the airport after we forgot it was in our carry on</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After that, we took an Uber to the Opera house, where we were promised we could walk on the roof. We had no idea you wouldn't take stairs to get there. I don't know how else to explain it except the roof starts on ground level. SO AWESOME!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_vuujS99otxRRCEnmsH9jUSX8i2i0eI1yapWckxakncUU37GjJHJPUBn5Xjv6IFHDv-1VNh4LJ7ATWel-biDNERZ47mt9mb022dkJIqcumPFXq_yGqxBmU9uipCmBZCjevjtKarwaNQ/s1600/SAM_5830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_vuujS99otxRRCEnmsH9jUSX8i2i0eI1yapWckxakncUU37GjJHJPUBn5Xjv6IFHDv-1VNh4LJ7ATWel-biDNERZ47mt9mb022dkJIqcumPFXq_yGqxBmU9uipCmBZCjevjtKarwaNQ/s320/SAM_5830.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTlomvfvzOx-BcuQ-jtUwtiyZrKdvmU3z_Od72nvYdTnIVHHgNfOdqcDAqEj_pJ3EtyMl3QJgE0L5KOqklv6GXt8_hVBU5QTCeGcq1JNhtaEhFdiVHzbiDWfzSF5b2OsB55sG8tb31Fk/s1600/SAM_5835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTlomvfvzOx-BcuQ-jtUwtiyZrKdvmU3z_Od72nvYdTnIVHHgNfOdqcDAqEj_pJ3EtyMl3QJgE0L5KOqklv6GXt8_hVBU5QTCeGcq1JNhtaEhFdiVHzbiDWfzSF5b2OsB55sG8tb31Fk/s320/SAM_5835.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Krista giving it some scale</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FRvhZ5VQPqNpznJvJF1DFuYy6DVyLf1ktyISjH14dPRNCAKAt5HplHUBCR0iMkKQ-VA5FRDkSxWUqcW0Axvy7zo9s3Aqq58FZp3AcMC22GdwVYWYQkUilCTNxP9tAHJYdtHfZEJrU3U/s1600/SAM_5852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FRvhZ5VQPqNpznJvJF1DFuYy6DVyLf1ktyISjH14dPRNCAKAt5HplHUBCR0iMkKQ-VA5FRDkSxWUqcW0Axvy7zo9s3Aqq58FZp3AcMC22GdwVYWYQkUilCTNxP9tAHJYdtHfZEJrU3U/s320/SAM_5852.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the Opera House, we took a train with Chuck to the airport.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCP9m5PE4GzDOac0g0h2SLJv8Sr8qe5NgzAlQf3wxafsTMrvE7b9WzzkaRzFqB6Rz8F6sp-ORoTiMYo9unY9_7mY_Qk0Zy_P995CcUDFH1wYctp9NUoZ_yLWZabGrHQo5X_qI0F8tHFY/s1600/IMG_8788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCP9m5PE4GzDOac0g0h2SLJv8Sr8qe5NgzAlQf3wxafsTMrvE7b9WzzkaRzFqB6Rz8F6sp-ORoTiMYo9unY9_7mY_Qk0Zy_P995CcUDFH1wYctp9NUoZ_yLWZabGrHQo5X_qI0F8tHFY/s320/IMG_8788.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks Chuck!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then I got REALLY TIRED and passed out on the flight to Alesund. Krista took some amazing photos, which I will share later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Alesund airport was really cute. There is ONE baggage carousel and then you're outside.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT95ef3EyV-_Hi1OQZgMUbe9yw8alRtBdWiU4aI0X8sE_bpCstYibJbDcxobxImAfofMsst3Zp2PaNoWkzdiuXgp6N2WbeeK9160D82VzcJAkrblEFpPp3jd3W_SuRjjPb64JMNR94dEo/s1600/IMG_8816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT95ef3EyV-_Hi1OQZgMUbe9yw8alRtBdWiU4aI0X8sE_bpCstYibJbDcxobxImAfofMsst3Zp2PaNoWkzdiuXgp6N2WbeeK9160D82VzcJAkrblEFpPp3jd3W_SuRjjPb64JMNR94dEo/s320/IMG_8816.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAIYku-d9NBkNkWBDbaEACEvhePxllfyOpPit-lnLsUbPyZWK9jlhX5IGqBis4BFkhxxyKcBI7w9loGbjXIr_tidye63FcQvXxkzLMOiuBTlJj9V1YmpdsQgicVfQnjWLxTWCblUaZq8/s1600/IMG_8814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAIYku-d9NBkNkWBDbaEACEvhePxllfyOpPit-lnLsUbPyZWK9jlhX5IGqBis4BFkhxxyKcBI7w9loGbjXIr_tidye63FcQvXxkzLMOiuBTlJj9V1YmpdsQgicVfQnjWLxTWCblUaZq8/s320/IMG_8814.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We rented a car, stopped in Alesund city for lunch.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFMFWJxhO8pdpwKEidxdbBL8FjiVtJFaj3Gf8rp1rceB83Z1rsUeo3ypLChVI6BswQjhrvacx1EROt_3rMuPBDowH4AsNfEv55PkE_SeW9wPnYp228yYsMgDlk4s7ww6gUJh7VAMCaLo/s1600/IMG_8854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFMFWJxhO8pdpwKEidxdbBL8FjiVtJFaj3Gf8rp1rceB83Z1rsUeo3ypLChVI6BswQjhrvacx1EROt_3rMuPBDowH4AsNfEv55PkE_SeW9wPnYp228yYsMgDlk4s7ww6gUJh7VAMCaLo/s320/IMG_8854.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAMJqnlaEqkB5SnFof1I71KT3vN91vEErzIc01EUa3e07u2bCnk1VHrzrrtX-LAg21l1yFHnD7SDsFMBFuSGlEAaqL-8Ky8K0zQVFXTLtum1OYrapA4MdA4xOHToLe2bylEbB-qS4sNg/s1600/IMG_8849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAMJqnlaEqkB5SnFof1I71KT3vN91vEErzIc01EUa3e07u2bCnk1VHrzrrtX-LAg21l1yFHnD7SDsFMBFuSGlEAaqL-8Ky8K0zQVFXTLtum1OYrapA4MdA4xOHToLe2bylEbB-qS4sNg/s320/IMG_8849.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I thought pizza sounded nice, but accidentally ordered pizza with salted cod. Not my favorite pizza ever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then a two hour drive to our eco-hotel.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HbxqjQE6rQXjsbHaXrqXI3_QleMlx7dnIqWRoNkydyP_KmfXjHtjfh5Gju5Ccwi1nVq9F5IYpuadqRo-alZno6hpwXsJbxrAlKLEoT1W8dFVb5Zcgj344GCLj-ZkaRra4GOoHEUpm-8/s1600/IMG_8848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HbxqjQE6rQXjsbHaXrqXI3_QleMlx7dnIqWRoNkydyP_KmfXjHtjfh5Gju5Ccwi1nVq9F5IYpuadqRo-alZno6hpwXsJbxrAlKLEoT1W8dFVb5Zcgj344GCLj-ZkaRra4GOoHEUpm-8/s320/IMG_8848.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNg2nbj-Zf5V76ck-5OWX9Ob_Qk8AnIAmbp5CM9YBkjL5SyX1g3GGw4r-hxHWrftRC0Bw2IZ_4XIij9y1l40gEVF5UJKRE9kY2OtaUXPL0fMwEgp209-SZGDi8sGr___6VgmNSUFRRCo/s1600/IMG_8863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNg2nbj-Zf5V76ck-5OWX9Ob_Qk8AnIAmbp5CM9YBkjL5SyX1g3GGw4r-hxHWrftRC0Bw2IZ_4XIij9y1l40gEVF5UJKRE9kY2OtaUXPL0fMwEgp209-SZGDi8sGr___6VgmNSUFRRCo/s320/IMG_8863.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy5vTbSQ8VMJLA72Sinmy5RIVMLRjg_j4rfwp9Q89OyGv3hKoigOOYAUDXs2pW6M_kjvlU03CMm6-YGMvWhP196ZwU3VkKf0UOtS0SbvZw7MLqlwfScg839faK1mePNTly5H2PL-O3C0/s1600/IMG_8866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy5vTbSQ8VMJLA72Sinmy5RIVMLRjg_j4rfwp9Q89OyGv3hKoigOOYAUDXs2pW6M_kjvlU03CMm6-YGMvWhP196ZwU3VkKf0UOtS0SbvZw7MLqlwfScg839faK1mePNTly5H2PL-O3C0/s320/IMG_8866.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived after dark and cannot wait to see the views! I'll fill you in about what so special with this hotel tomorrow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I can say that we are both blown away with Norway's beauty. The green, the nature, the water, hills, mountains, cliffs. It's shocking how gorgeous it all is. And we're pretty dang proud of ourselves for deciding to get out of the city and drive deep into the West. Getting away from it all. Taking in some stunning scenery. We're so happy...and so...so tired.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Good night for now. More tomorrow.</span></div>
<br />sportikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253609984112808112noreply@blogger.com0