Pre-Season Pics: Oilers @ Wild

So a week later I went to see the Oilers play the Wild with my friend Andrea and her sister.  Once again we were up in the 200 level, but the seats were great.  The nice thing about preseason, is that you can spread out.  Elbow room is a great thing.  This was Andrea's second live game.  And it was a good one for her to see.  I accidentally jinxed the wild in this one.  All I did was say that the oilers had 6 minutes if they wanted to tie it up.  And that I wouldn't mind seeing the young ilers (Omark, Paajarvi, etc in a shootout).  And literally less than a minute later they tied it up.  then a few minutes after that, Darcy Hordichuk, yes that Darcy Hordichuk, scored a goal.  (It was actually pretty too)  But it was called back as an oiler (I think) took a penalty.  And then what do you know, the wild lost in a shootout.  My bad.

2011 MN Wild Scrimmage

Wild Captain Mikko Koivu

So I was at the Wild open scrimmage again this weekend.  You might be asking yourself why me, a Canucks fan was at the Wild's scrimmage (by the way it was a 1-0 game).  Well, I'll give you three reasons.
1. I live in Minnesota (And I do enjoy the Wild, not near like I do the Canucks.)
2. It was hockey
3. As long as Mikko Koivu is playing somewhere in the NHL, I will support him (his team to a point), even if it were something horrible like Anaheim, Boston or god-forbid Chicago.

Random Estes Park

Wow, it has been a while.  Sorry guys, I am getting back in the saddle again.  Now, normally I would play on the getting back in the saddle angle, but I think I've used most of my horse pics...  So I am just going to an Estes Park entry.  It has been 3 weeks since I left Estes.  I didn't leave Estes on my terms, I flew out.  I'd lost the transmission in my car literally the day before I was leave.  So I did get to spend more time in Estes, that was nice.

Digout: Days 1&2

As I am sure I’ve mentioned, I am spending the summer working in a gift shop in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Well, it’s a pretty tall mountain, somewhere around 12 thousand feet.  And you’d better believe that there is a bunch of snow up there.  It like many places in the mountains is a seasonal spot, and in the winter, they just let it snow.  The road is closed for several months and they plow it out each spring.  And this year was no different.  And while the road is being plowed out we dig out the gift shop.

Coulson Gulch: First Hike of the Summer

I went hiking today, since I am here writing this it means I survived it.  It nearly killed me though, I am not as the greatest of shape, not completely used to this altitude.  That is what killed me the most, the altitude, I can suffer though normally, but there were times I was almost sick.  Not fun, but the destination was well worth the journey!

Water Along the Gorge

I was going through some pictures last night, and chatting with a new friend online about some, and he mentioned Multnomah Falls.  I've posted a bit on waterfalls before, but haven't really given the Columbia Gorge its due.  Fall 2009, I road tripped through Oregon and our last leg in Oregon was The Gorge.  We were really just passing through, but we made sure that we took the Columbia River Highway.  It is amazing, the views, the waterfalls, Vista House, it was so much fun to drive.

On to Tombstone

 So of all the places I wanted to visit while I toured the southwest Tombstone was on at the top of the list.  I'm a history kinda girl and it is chalk full of it.  Sadly I got sick around that time.  Yeah it was stupid on my part, some super dehydration.  I was nauseous for most of the day.  Little queasy at tombstone (at first I attributed it to the negitive energy of Tombstone) but it only got worse as the day went on, actually that was the reason the trip was cut short. But that is neither here nor there at this point.





So Tina and I left Tuscon early in the day and headed south, on a path that would take us really close to the Mexican border. To another town that I wanted to see, but slept through (I did go back later with the parents though).  Arizona is kinda pretty.  They have mountains, cacti, and animals.  I enjoyed the drive.  We got to Tombstone early and natually found the museum.  It was the old courthouse. 






They had an overview of the OK Corral, and the Earp brothers.  I am not a huge fan of Wyatt Earp as he was kinda a jerk.  But Doc Holliday intrigues me.  Upstairs the courthouse was set up just as it was in the 1800's.  So it was kinda neat to see.  Outside you could go see Tombstone as it was... well kinda.  Part of the town is the tourist feature.  One street mainly done in dirt and all fixed up pretty. 





They have the OK Corral where they talk about the empty lot that the gunfight took place in.  They lay out the time line and the events leading up to it.  Pretty nifty actually.  Then you have old timey stores and business on both sides of the dusty old street.  Then you show up at Big Nose Kate's Saloon (assuming it was later named after her as a nod to Tombstone history).  Where you learn a little about Kate.  She was Doc's girlfriend (may or may not have been a prostitute- no one really knows), and he felt she was his intellectual equal.  She ran a boarding house, might have run a brothel, and often gets confused with Tombstones' Rowdy Kate.









At the far end of the street is the Birdcage Theater.  Legend has it that 26 people were killed there as it was the meanest, rowdiest places in Tombstone and there is still 120ish bullet holes in the joint.

Exiled in Paradise

  I've had Yellowstone on my mind lately.  Probably because I am going to be in a different National Park for the summer months.  It is kinda a surreal feeling knowing that I might be over Yellowstone.  I have no desire to go back except maybe for a visit.  Sure I miss my Yellowstone peeps and I don't have the same circle of people here in Minnesota... (I am working on that slowly).  But sometimes you just have to move on.  So I figured with it on my mind, knowing how beautiful the spring in Yellowstone is, I'd give The Park some attention.




So as I mentioned I spent the majority of my Yellowstone life at Lake, but I did one summer in exile (as I sometimes grudgingly refer to it) at Old Faithful.  I had to work at Old Faithful, I needed to put the demons of my previous summer to rest.  My previous summer was very odd, it was both wonderful and horrible.  I was supposed to be back at lake, but I honestly couldn't do it, I was filled with dread just thinking of it.  I had managed the year before, and that summer would have been going back as a cook (which is always a little strange).  I pre-seasoned at the Old Faithful Lodge and I honestly really liked it.  And they needed cafe cooks, and I didn't want to go to lake, so I burned a bridge and stayed.  And thus became an exile (self imposed, but still exiled)




I had an awesome roommate, Amanda, she was the EDR cook and a loud Texan.  And she put up with me for several months, it was tense at times, but that friendship is pretty damn strong still.  We did a lot together, I dragged her many places.  I spent a lot of time with another friend (at the time anyways) we both were in "exile".  We'd visit lake a lot, having many friends there.  I was up at lake every weekend.  It was, if you will, a great place to visit.  The nice thing was, you knew everyone and everything, but were completely removed from the drama... and if there is one thing lake knows it is drama!


But anyways, I loved my Old Faithful Exile Summer.  It was funny seeing how it changed over the season.  Having wintered there, it was covered in snow.  Then the pre-season it wasn't.  It was a little disorenting, but you firgue it out.  The funny thing was, you still kinda think that your Snow Lodge people are there, but the summer crew is so different that it kinda shocks you.  But you get used to it, you get used to the crowds, you the noise, the sulfer, and you learn tricks.  And you find yourself waiting hours for a geyser.  You almost become an old faithful person, but deep down you still belong to lake.  And it was that exile that led me back to lake for the last summer.




This post wasn't as fun as I was hoping--- but I guess it had to be written.  So I promise the next one will have more pictures and a good chance for some geyser action!  Hmm boy!

Golden and Bald! The National Eagle Center

  Last Friday (the 18th) my cousin Susie and I, along with my mom's cousin Sylvia, went to the National Eagle Center.  The National Eagle Center is in Wabasha Minnesota.  Wabasha is a small town along the Mississippi River.  And Wabasha like many of the little river towns has a large eagle population.  La Crosse, Winona, Prairie Du Chien, Red Wing, you name one they all have loads of 'em. 

And Wabasha much like La Crosse has a large wintering population of eagles.  By the dams there is a large spot of open water.  They like this.  Literally hundreds at any given moment, trust me it is awesome to see.  Now while we were in Wabasha, there wasn't bunches of eagles flying around.  The warm weather had opened up much of the river and they were on the move.  But during the 60ish mile drive to Wabasha there were tons flying around, hanging out on the river and just being amazing! (I love Minnesota)

But at the Eagle Center I got closer to eagles than I ever thought possible.  They are so beautiful up close.  Hell, they are pretty darned awesome from a distance too.  There were 3 Bald Eagles and one Golden Eagle at the eagle center.  They aren't as big as I expected, I mean they are big and have a huge wingspans, but I figured they weighed lots more than the 8-12 pounds they do.  Got to watch one eat, and of course it decided to take a dump too (lovely I know).  But hey, I am not gonna share what I learned about that function...

None the less, I loved it, probably because I love eagles.

In a Canyon

New Mexico.  I have mixed feelings about New Mexico.  I had a great trip there once, I went to Chaco Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, Roswell and a bunch of places.  It was great.  But the 1st visit, I had let myself get pretty dehydrated, and was sick as a dog. (BTW where does that phrase come from anyways?)  So I didn't get anywhere.  Spent the day at a hotel being miserable and the vacation was over at that point.  Wasn't interested to seeing anything at that point.

So I went to the desert with my parents after my 1st Snow Lodge.  I was looking for warmth, and didn't find it.  Well, there was that day in Roswell.  But that was about it.  The wind.... the wind in New Mexico is crazy and cold.  Even though it was windy, Chaco Canyon was pretty hot.  But because of the wind, it wasn't unbearable.  I am not a hot weather climate kinda of girl, but I can deal in the short term.

A Great Kiva

Chaco Canyon is a mystery.  At least that is what they told me.  It is chalk full of Ancestral Puebloan Great Houses.  And they are all aligned with each other, even though they are miles apart.  Not only that, they are aligned with the solstices, the solar and lunar cycles.  It is crazy!  No one is quite certain as to what purpose Chaco was created for, was it a ceremonial area, was it something else?  Much like the amount of licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, the world may never know.

 

I love this part of the south west, the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde, Chimney Rock, Hovenweep, they are all so amazing and beautiful.  You can feel the history at these sites.  The emotional imprint (if you believe in that sort of thing) is intense.  The place really speaks for itself. 

Oh and I don't have a picture, but the stars were amazing.  And I have been in many of the few remaining dark spots, but I don't know if I've ever seen a more amazing display.