Archive for November, 2007
I really need to go grocery shopping, but everytime i think about going, i realize i’m about to leave town. “oh, i’m about to leave, i’ll just get groceries later” i rationalize. Nope, not done it in the past 3 weeks and i’m down to eggs, salsa, and tortillas and what am i doing instead? i’m writing a blog entry…
I went to St. Louis right before Thanksgiving to celebrate my grandmother’s 91st birthday. She was born in 1916, which means that she was growing up around the first world war, spent her formative years during the Roaring Twenties, lived through the Great Depression, and when she was my age, 25, World War II was just getting started.
My grandmother and I usually like to cook breakfast with each other so we can have secret conversations as the rest of the family chatters on at the table. I was harassing her to cook breakfast with me this last time i was in town and she complained about her hand being asleep. It had been pinned underneath her all night, so when she pulled her left arm up past her body and began to massage it was her right hand, so i jokingly said “well, thats because you’ve been crushing the life out of it all night. come on, make breakfast with me.”
As one might be able to guess, she was having a very mild stroke, so we spent the rest of the trip visiting her in the hospital. She is such an incredible role model to me. Her quick wit never left her lips. She continued joking about with the nurses and the family, sweet, patient and as calm as could be.
She is out now, but will be going into surgery in January to take care of some congestion in her jugular artery. She’s had several surgeries in the past few years. After having electrocuted herself on the vent fan but the stove (“threw me right across the room. i thought it must have looked so funny,” she’d say with a smile) the doctors found her pacemaker battery charge was much lower than it should have been, so they went in a put in a brand new smaller pacemaker. She had knee replacement surgery so she can still work out the yard and walk around a store. Her teeth were just recently implanted, so they are brighter and shinier than my own 25 year old chompers. She’s been refurbished for the new millenia.
Last week, a Ben and I decided to leave town and check out a state park we’ve both not been to: Lost Maples State Natural Area. I’ve been so busy lately with work and other work that i felt i really needed a break. i camp because i feel that i “need” to. i get really ansy if i don’t travel. This trapped feeling begins to seep into my head if i don’t wake up in a tent outside every once in a while. Some might say its a maturity issue, but i like the addiction.
I finished what web work i needed to wrap up, packed my backpack, hopped in my car, picked up Ben, and headed to the hills. The drive is really beautiful. The road goes through a series of 15 mph u-turns that are unusual for Texas and the vistas evidence the geologic wonder that is the Texas Hill Country. Our route from Austin took 290 to Fredericksburg, south on 16 all the way through Kerrville to Medina where we took a right on 337 toward 187. The park is north from there past the motorcycle museum and all the weird little hill country kinda shops.
We arrived at the park when the visitor’s center was closing, right about at sunset now that the time has fallen back. The ranger gave us a map and suggested staying by the ponds about a mile from the trailhead. The park offers a great selection for backpacking compared to most state parks. One could plan a good 5 mile trip with good steep section to trudge as training for the Rockies. We were hoping for a longer backpack, but since we got a late start, we figured the short hike would be good as an introduction to the area.
On our way to the trailhead, we picked up water from the RV camping area. This park is well known for its fall colors, so the area was bustling with people. It was nothing like Yosemite in the summer, but it was more full than i would have expected for a monday evening. Trailhead parking was the same: more people than expected. All retired people, it seemed, so i wasn’t really worried that my backcountry experience was going to be ruined, but i was relieved that we didn’t show up on the weekend to catch the 9-5-ers.
The hike was short and sweet. Unlike Enchanted Rock, i felt like i was actually out in the wilderness. The sun had already begun to set by the time we reached the campsite. We set up our camp by a “pond”, which is an really where the water pools before turning the corner and going over a waterfall.
Food is a huge part of backpacking for Ben and I. We love to figure out which of our favorite meals is trail friendly. This particular evening, we decided to try our hands at making black bean and avocado tacos. One can of black beans, two little avocados, and fancy Whole Foods tortillas kept us happy as we watched the valley darken and the stars shine.
Sometimes, people will ask me why I camp or what I do when I travel. Overall, I do the same things i usually do at home. On this particular trip, Ben and i took photos, read, and played chess. Usually, when visiting a city, I look for a coffee shop and a bookstore and compare and contrast all the other coffee shops and bookstores i’ve been to. I enjoy hiking and biking especially when its an area i’m unfamiliar with. I enjoy finding my way around new cities. I guess i just like doing what i like to do in different places.
When we got up the next morning, we took the fanny pack lids off our packs and headed up to the scenic view on the hill behind out site. The signs all indicated a strenuously steep climb, so I didn’t feel like such a wimp when i huffed and puffed up the hill.
On our way out of the park the next morning, we stopped to check out the waterfall and take high school senior photo style shots in front of it:
Map of park.