Ever since we saw Life of Pie we knew we'd come to Fruita to mtbike. 

Paused on the way to Fruita (from Vegas) at the far edge of Utah (Quail Creek reservoir) for a dip. Temperatures in the 90s, the water was perfect.

Got out this morning before the rains came and caught a few glimpses of the Colorado river.

We're at about 7,000 feet and we seaside dwellers need to adjust! thank god for electric bikes.  :)

Drover up into the Colorado National Monument as the rains rolled in. Even the locals were seeking the dry spots.

 Time to trade in the endless fog of Santa Cruz for the southwest. Sorry Mouse, you're not coming but I'm sure the servants we've lined up to take care of you will suffice. Heading out for VIVA LAS VEGAS this morning then onward to Fruita CO for a little mt biking.... temperature and air quality permitting.

The three days of 'sampling' the Camino from southern France into northern Spain ended yesterday. We came down out of the rolling mountains of Spain into Pamplona. I can' t say I recommend just jumping up and hiking 15 miles a day for three consecutive days for most 56 year olds, but if not now, when? 😀
And, as we wrap up week three of being out of the US and away from our routines, it's the usual time to think about what will be different when we return. I'm pretty sure I will move away from Facebook..... It's gotten so divisive and argumentative and just tiresome. Will probably leave the account so that I can check on relatives if I want but need to pare it and general social media time waaayy back.

Santiago, to Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales or, The End of the World

Ok really, you have to break out a map if you haven't yet, of where we are. We are just about at the end of the world, the very bottom most tip of Chile. Tierra del Fuego is slightly more south but on the little plane ride and then the little bus ride, it was very clear that the land is narrow, the mountains are majestic and the ocean is vast and cold. We have left the sultry summer of Santiago and are snugly nestled in an airbnb feel "hostel" in Puerto Natales. From here people come from all over the world to go to the national park. Climbers (not us) come for the vertical slabs of mountain, hikers come to stroll the paths in the shadows of said giants.  We will meander this adorable town tomorrow for last minute gear and food to take on the trail. Our plan (four of us) is to dine and sleep in the Refugios along the well known "W" path. Our other four friends are going on a more remote wilderness hike and will carry more gear and food. For at least our first day we will start together (I think). Rain gear, layers, maps - we are pretty ready. One more leisurely day and then tuesday we are all off to our hikes. And adventures.

Santa Cruz to Santiago, via Miami

Up at 3:30am, shuttle ride to SF Airport with a driver who is eerily reminiscent of the professor from Back to the Future - got his life story. Peter, Jeff and Andrew showed the approprtiate level of interest while I counted the minutes to caffeine. Flew to Miami, poked around there for 5 hours, flew overnight to Santiago, got here as the sun was coming up. Peter was sternly questioned at customs about the 30 lbs of automotive parts in his luggage but paying an agreed upon tax allowed us to stumble to the hotel and crash for a few hours. (oh and thank the lord! Jeff brushed up on his Spanish)  Guess we were going to rely on pantomime otherwise.  Met up with Sheila and Deany, then Michael and Jane (the Brits) and then dinner at a fabulous restaurant serving Peruvian food. The plan is that we all fly down to Puerto Natales tomorrow (sunday) and then start into Torres del Paine on Monday. We will stay at a hostel before and after the week of hiking so internet access there. I may bring the little iToy if the backpack isn't too crazy heavy. It does have a camera..... and word games!  :-)  The weather in Santiago is summer. I'm very happy about that!

13 days and counting.....

We leave for south america in 13 days and we think about packing all the time. There's little lists everywhere and the promise of one more trip to REI. But first there's finishing the mailing project from hell (check) and beefing up supplies at his work so hopefully no real emergencies happen while he takes his first real vacation in years.

One thing on the list for me is to kickstart my writing (largely dormant these past few years) by resurrecting this blog. Since we are taking the iToy with us, I figure I will have no reason not to write, as time allows.  I also want to be able to send email updates to my non FB friends and so voila, here is one more pre trip launch item checked off.  I'll do a few small posts before we go to reacquaint myself with this site and to make sure it's working.

Back to the lists....

Movie Review - August: Osage County

Once in a blue moon I go see a movie with a friend, because they really want to. This tends to break the No-chick-flick-or-musicals mantra and I hold my breath and just jump in. It's only two hours, how bad can it be?

Let's define "bad", shall we?  I am NOT saying the acting was subpar, the dialog was lame or the sets were ho hum.  Not at all. But if you sat thru "Who's Afraid of Virgina Wolf" (which I lasted 10 minutes) then you pretty much can skip this.  The storyline is about a midwestern family coming together for a funeral.  No no, do not attempt to dodge the prickly possibilities with images of "The Big Chill" - there's no warmth in the face of death. No coming together to overcome one's familial skeletons, not for this bunch.  Meryl Streep should have received at least an Oscar nod for her scathingly domineering role as the matriarch of this crumbling family.  She enters the movie early on in a mix of prescription daze euphoria and relentless skewering of her family and she never lets up.  Various members of the family rise to her bait, in self defense or defense of others, and are systematically beheaded and jeered at.  Toward the end she replays a childhood memory of her mother's similar cruelty so we can at least say "oh, that's how she became that way" but by then we, just like her family, don't really care.  As her family flees for respite one by one, so too did I as soon as the credits started.  As someone once said to me "there is no talent in being cruel". This was not a "dark comedy" as described. This was just the ugly side of darkness, period.

Movie review - The Hobbit

The older I get the more likely I am to NOT see a movie that's more than two hours long. Aside from my self labeled ADHD, I just don't find that many stories, even of my own telling, to be that compelling.  This movie most definitely is.

People instantly ask me if I saw last year's "The Hobit: An Unexpected Journey" and I am pretty sure I did not.... but I meant to. I think the general impression from friends was that it was just too darn long and since it was summertime, I rarely can spend three hours in a theater when it's nice out.  Do you need to have seen previous movies before this one?  The characters do describe their intentions and a little backstory but I think that if you're not a follower you may not feel there is enough background to fill out the characters. This is probably true like the Hunger Games series - I did not read the books and fans tell me that's why the second movie did nothing for me. (and I believe them)

This movie is also a stunning homage to the director's homeland.  Yes there's computer enhancement blended in but the mountains and winding rivers are as breathtaking as the first time you ever see them. Makes me glad to be going to NZ in March!  Do see this movie on the big screen, you will be sad when the two hours and forty minutes are up.

Movie Review: Mud

Smooth on the surface, gritty deeper down, life's detritus accumulating over the years. Soft and smooth yet somehow amassing the ability to suck you in and suffocate you..... Look but don't touch. Keep moving.

Matthew McConaughey's latest movie takes place along a slow moving river in a sluggish southern town. McConaughey plays a drifter named "Mud" who's a lovelorn fugitive, befriended by two curious teenage boys. They are wise to be leery of Mud's story but end up helping him evade the local police when he spins his tale of heartache. A mutually beneficial deal is made that slowly builds in intensity - like the slow and steady rise of floodwaters. It's hard not to be reminded of "Stand By Me" but Mud's mix of quasi creepy/charming ways add an element of the real world that doesn't allow for folly. A mishmash of damaged characters act out their dreams and dysfunctions, some improving, others sinking ever downward. This is not a movie for everyone but it's a well told tale worth seeing.

Four days in the saddle

Being insanely stubborn can carry you a long ways. But at some point your butt and the bike seat are going to be unhappy with each other and let you know about it. That was today. I'm hoping day 5 will magically be like day one. We rolled into the forested campground of Lake Solano yesterday afternoon after a hellishly windy exit from Ryde. Jeff, Andrew and I teamed up with a group at first to fight against the invisible enemy - at least to the first ferry crossing. Riding with strangers in a group in the wind is a mixed blessing. You don't know for sure anyone's skills but you're all desperate to mooch off each other to stay alive against the blast all day so you brave it. And when one of your party is 7 feet tall, everyone wants to be his friend. (or shadow) Evan, you are a rock star. But since the main group was churning at a faster pace than I could hold, I dropped back and Jeff and Andrew did too. We crawled across the middle of the state, especially a treacherous section of hwy 12. Almost lost one of our group when he hit the rumble strips and was thrown down into the road. Luckily for him there was no traffic just then. Considering that there was a cement median wall 12 feet from him, that could have gone very badly. Heard someone else went down too. Folks are getting tired but we still have three and a half days to go. (and while sunday is a short ride into golden gate park, crossing the bridge against international tourists on rental bikes is more nerve wracking to me than any mountainous descent.) Today was cooler as we slogged up Ink Grade and then down and into Calistoga. Did some laundry, grabbed some food and now it's time to sleep - in a real bed! Back to camping and massaging tomorrow....

Ryde Hotel, Ryde, CA

I'm on a weeklong bike ride across the state of california and it's day two. Yesterday was 75 hot miles and I melted down at mile 60. It was noon, in the 90s and my head was pounding even after six bottles of water, electrolytes and rice krispy squares. Guess my weeks of steadfastedly conserving my energy for this week didn't quite work. I had no qualms about flashing the thumbs down sign as the SAG van passed me and circled back. I was signed up to massage a half dozen fellow riders after we all finished so hey, I was conserving energy. We rolled into the town of Jackson and up to the little mission there that was going to house 100 plus salty sweaty cyclists. Popped more salt pills, changed into swimsuit and crept into the cool water. Ahhhh, smart decision! Too soon it was time to rub down weary legs so i left the pool and re-entered the massage scene. Really enjoyed it. Today I opted to just do the last half of the ride and so left with Susan The Campground Goddess to pedal to Ryde. It's cooler today with a stiff warm breeze so our little 30ish mile ride went by quickly. It's crazy flat out here in the middle of the state. The oleander are bursting forth with white, red or pink towers of flowers by the side of the road. Verdant green vineyards displaying row up on row of tender grapes growing under the summer sun. The last few miles of the ride in wind along the top of a levee - a lovely oasis of life in this parched part of the state. That might help me live here but we are still too far from the ocean for me. oops, riders arriving, time to work soon....