Less Pizza Stone, More Grind Stone
The start of my second week here at VIIS! Jump once and shout hooray. The sunburn from yesterday is not as bad as I thought and the aloe has helped tremendously. I am excited to try my Chili that I made Saturday. I've packed myself a heaping serving for today's lunch. I even sprinkled a cup of cheese on top to make it extra tasty. And I've got some Ritz crackers to make it scoopable.
On the drive into the biosphere today I passed several mongoose and a lot of doves. The doves here are more brown than at home and a lot slower. They'll be sitting on the road and as you come along, getting closer, they seem to just sit there, waiting. Eventually, they do pick up and fly away and narrowly miss a collision with your windshield, now matter how slowly you're driving. I think they only fly as fast as necessary to stay alive, since I haven't hit one yet (thankfully).
I'm hoping to explore another beach this afternoon after work. Perhaps Solomon or something else nearby. For the next eight hours or so I'll be working on what it is I can do here and how to go about doing it.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 29
Sunday, June 28
Snorkeling Sunday and More Pizza
I woke up sometime around 5am this morning. I realized quickly that it was far too early to be awake and went back to sleep. Closer to 7 o'clock, I spilled out of bed and got my day started with my breakfast of yogurt and granola with a big mug of coffee. The mosquitoes left me alone last night and for that I am grateful. I finished my breakfast, gathered my snorkeling gear from the porch, and met with Dwight to head for the beaches. Along the way, we picked up Lauren across the island. Cinnamon Bay has two main areas for snorkeling that Lauren helped point out to us. We started by swimming around the western part of the bay and headed towards Peter Bay. After exploring that area, which was amazing and great, we headed for Cinnamon Cay. Dwight and I circled Cinnamon Cay and then returned to our spot on the beach where we'd left Lauren to sunbathe. During the snorkeling, I saw Keith and his son kayaking near Cinnamon Cay, and underwater, there were fireworm, cuttle fish, trumpet fish, and the other regulars that linger on the reef, such as damsel fish, angel fish, elkhorn corals, staghorn corals, christmas tree worms, brain corals, fan coral, sea urchin, various types of snapper, and more. The cuttle fish was my favorite sighting. I took a video of it floating above a piece of coral, where it appeared to be eating something.
Back on shore, I laid in the sun to dry off. The horizon is still slightly clouded by the dust event. We hung out on the beach for a bit longer, enjoying the white sand, sea grapes, and eventually headed back for Maho. I didn't think I had any sunburn from snorkeling this morning. Even when I showered and checked my back and shoulders for any redness, I noted there wasn't much redness. A few hours later, I came to realize I did in fact get roasted. My back and shoulders and hamstrings are nice and tomatoey red. I did apply copious amounts of SPF 30, waterproof, sweatproof, hardy Coppertone Sport. I was only out the one time swimming/snorkeling so I didn't get a chance to reapply halfway through the snorkel, since we were several hundred yards from shore. Fortunately, by the time I discovered the sunburn, I was at Lauren's and plucked a bit of Aloe from the yard and got the sticky aloe goodness all over my burned areas. Real, pure, unfiltered aloe plants have got a unique smell that is nothing like the stuff you get in the stores. It's also more of an orange-yellow color and less bright fluorescent green. It is a little more sticky, too. Despite its differences from the store-bought variety, it totally helps the burn, just the same, or better.
I finished my first load of laundry here on the Islands and have realized I may need a bit more detergent than the half-full bottle of Woolite I brought with me. I'll have to see if I can pick some up on a trip to St. Thomas soon. Apparently, St. Thomas is the place to get these types of items, since there's a Kmart over there. I am still miffed about my Olympus “tough” camera quitting on me. I can't get the screen to turn on at all anymore. Earlier, it would flicker on for a few seconds and then cut-off spontaneously several seconds later. Now, it's just lights-on, nobody's home. I'm not sure if I should go big and get the DSLR I've wanted forever or if I should just stick with my 7.1 megapixel clunker. I'll have to stew on it for a few more days. I'm putting in a call to the folks at Olympus first thing tomorrow morning to give them my two cents. I'm hoping I can just have them mail me a new one and I'll send them my old one. Maybe they can refurbish it and sell it again to someone else. Otherwise, I'm looking to never get another Olympus again and likely recommend that other folks do the same.
Even with a broken camera, sunburn, and nagging mosquitoes, I love it here. The view from just about any part of the island is good or amazing, or somewhere in between. When the skies are clear, you can see St. Thomas, Jost Van Dyke, parts of the Tortolas, and other Cays and islands. The water is crystal clear, blue in every shade possible, and the sands white and fine. The vegetation is tropical, green and lush. Small crumbling ruins, rock art, large mill ruins, and tiny four-wheel drive vehicles fill in the gaps between scenic landscapes of the beaches and sea. The winding, bumpy, and mostly unpaved roads beg for your attention, ensuring that no drive is boring.
I can't wait to pull on my SCUBA gear and do some diving here. I'm also anxious to rent or borrow a sailboat (any kind will do) and go for a leisurely sail around St. John. As long as adventures are the topic of the moment, I'd like to mention that I'm eager to visit places like Jost Van Dyke, the Baths on Virgin Gorda, and dive The Wreck of the Rhone as well as Alice in Wonderland, the latter of which is off Ginger Island.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Saturday, June 27
First Weekend!
It's the weekend and I “slept-in” to get up just after 7:00am. Yeah! I made my coffee this morning now that I've got filters, cream, and coffee. I made it way too strong, but it was still delicious, even though it's Maxwell House. I'm not sold on the cheap beans, but they will have to do for now. The Sahara Dust still hung heavily in the air and made the horizon nearly disappear as I viewed out my kitchen window. Dwight and I loaded into the truck and made our way for the reefs sometime around 8 o'clock.
We made our first stop for snorkeling the Hawksnest Beach. Not only was there a wedding ceremony going on at the beach, there were TWO. About 100 yards from one another, there were two couples either saying their vows or rehearsing (with just two people and a photographer, it's hard to tell). The snorkeling at Hawksnest was better than at Trunk, on the whole. We started out on the far western side of the reef and made a plan to head east, but the tide must have been low while we were there, because most of the reef was a fire coral deathtrap, with less than two feet between the reef and the surface. We halted and changed our plan and instead plotted a course in deeper (and less interesting) waters. The rest of the snorkel went well and I snagged many photos, no sunburn, and a few videos.
After Hawksnest, we headed west for an undisclosed location. There was a short hike to a major landmark and then a longer hike to the beach. It's a location I'd like to keep away from the prying eyes of tourists, lest the corals get destroyed by ignorant snorkelers stomping on the reefs. If you're nice, I'll tell you where I went. The second snorkel of the day was the most exciting (of the two) and I got lots of amazing views of a lot of fish, with a particularly high incidence of seeing trumpet fish and fireworms (read: wormy-looking aquatic millipede-like creatures). I swam past some locals fishing off the shore and noticed their mono-filament tangled in the corals below. So much for leave no trace ethics being a universally accepted practice. We still need to do a lot of work on keeping people informed on how much they really do impact the environment, and not just on land.
After two snorkel trips, we headed back along Northshore Road for Island Paradise. Dwight and I parted down our separate driveways, grabbed some lunch, freshened up, and rinsed our gear of all the sticky and crusty saltwater. We revved up the engine again and set off for the East End. We drove as long as the road would take us. The end of the road seems to float right around Sloop Jones' studio. He's a local artist and his main attraction seems to be hand-painted clothing. The colors he uses are amazing and the designs are unique. His clothes are not something you could just pick up from your local sweatshop in China, that's for sure. I didn't buy anything during my first visit of his studio, but I have a feeling my Mom may like a few of their items. I'll have to add a photo of a shirt I saw at his studio just so you can see the awesomeness yourself.
We cruised from the East End down to Coral Bay and somewhere along the way I became the happy owner of The Swatter I, Model HTC-2801. It's the most fantastic invention, EVER. It's a small tennis racket, with pizazz. Imagine, a tennis racket with a built in bug zapper. That's The Swatter. I have one and it definitely has two AA batteries and I have already zapped a few mosquitoes into blue zappy frying bliss. I think I will keep The Swatter at arms-length from now on in the USVI.
We stopped off at the Catherineberg Ruins on the way home. That is a must-see spot if you're going to come visit me. Annaberg Ruins are also spectacular and the site has a great view, but Catherineberg is just cool. The unpaved and unmaintained (relatively) road to get there is also worth a drive, but only if you're tooling around in a 4x4 and don't mind a few bumps along the way.
The day came to a close after we returned from Catherineberg and I started getting caught up on loading my photos into my laptop. There were lots from this morning and even more from the past few days. That reminds me, I have a small rant... My Olympus Stylus 1030SW is the worst camera I've ever purchased. The camera is not waterproof. I haven't even taken it as deep as it is quoted to withstand. The LCD does not work. The camera gets power, turns on, takes photos, and those photos can be loaded onto my laptop. However, the LCD does not illuminate, nor does it provide any feedback, at all. There is no viewfinder, so without an LCD, there's no way to know if your picture came out looking they way you wanted. I'm pretty into photography and I like having a working camera, so having a camera that half does it's job, well, that's just annoying. I will have to scout around town to see if the duty-free cameras around the USVI are a good deal or if I need to just resort to using my 7.1 megapixel ancient Canon point-and-shoot. Sad panda face.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday, June 26
The Weekend Begins
More on my run yesterday evening:
I'm slacking on exercise- I ran just under 1 mile yesterday and was horribly out of breath by the time I turned around at 0.5 miles. I felt much better when my car was in view again. The air was thick with Sahara Dust. Yes, we get dust blowing in from the Sahara Desert here. It's airway clogging and allergy-inducing. Google it.
Now, onto new topics:
The weekend is almost here! I have plans to snorkel a half dozen places between Saturday and Sunday and I'm most excited to dip my feet in and see some underwater wildlife. I've dug out my underwater housing and my snorkel bag is never more than an arm's reach away. I don't want to miss the chance to swim or explore. Dwight, my neighbor and a Teacher Ranger Teacher, will be going to do the snorkeling this weekend anyway, so I'm going to tag along with him! Also adding to the fun-pie, will be having Lauren, the archeologist, join us on Sunday and hopefully show us some cool sites and/or places to go, if Dwight doesn't already have them on the list of destinations for the weekend.
Thursday, June 25
Safety Meeting and a Boat Tour
I found my charger!
My second package of goodies has arrived!
It's a good day! I started the day with a meeting with the Safety Committee and learned about exciting things like birds that attack and dive-bomb people's fries and hot dogs as they leave the concessions food stand. Birds dive-bombing bald heads is also a concern that has been discussed recently. The meeting was helpful in understanding more about the park and how different divisions are working together to reduce risk and improve safety in the parks.
I have my work cut out for me. I'm eager to narrow down what I can accomplish this summer while I'm here.
After the safety meeting and some tours around the park to discuss a new jog trail and a trail addition, I hopped on a boat with the acting Chief Ranger and set off for a tour around the island. We started heading around the northern shore of the island, leaving from Cruz Bay and heading towards Mary Point. Just before we made it to Leinster Bay, some warning alarms for the engines sounded. The real issue wasn't really anything serious, it turns out the computer thinks it overheating, when really, it's not. At any rate, not wanting to get stranded out too far from shore, we returned to Cruz Bay and decided to reschedule the tour for another day. Even though we had to turn around early, I did get some great information from Jeff about the mooring and anchoring rules and regulations for the Park. It was also awesome to get some photographs of the beaches, cays, and islands, and to learn about other points of interest and in-holding areas. During the short tour I also got a better grasp on how EMS works on the island as well as law enforcement, and how the National Park Service, Coast Guard, and the USVI Police interact.
Carnival heats up this weekend and will be in full swing. I've been warned to stay away from violence that may break out in the streets during the party times. There will be great music with lots of bands, a food fair, a huge parade, fireworks, and a beach jam between now and July 5. I'm hoping I can see some of the events and experience carnival. I doubt I'll venture out alone for any of the excitement, so hopefully I'll find someone that also wants to check out the events.
I left work around 4:30 and headed for the beaches to run and swim some before going home for dinner, relaxation, and sleep. I like going to bed earlier and getting up earlier here. Working 7am to 3pm just seems like a great idea down here. The run, although hot, went well. I hopped on a steep (steep is relative here) hill with Tom, one of the LE Rangers, and made it about half a mile before I decided to turn around. I'm out of shape! I was horribly winded from the ascent of less than 200 ft. I need to run more.
I'm going to stop at the grocery and buy coffee, sugar, and cream, to make at home rather than buy it every morning for $2.00 at the Deli (I think it costs a lot that way). And get vinegar to season the coffee pot so that it's clean and descaled for certain. I'll rinse it with lots of hot and soapy water as well. It's rather gross looking.
Literally had to wait for chickens to cross the road today on my way to the grocery store. I stopped off at the Star Fish Market and walked away with some coffee and creamer. The selection of coffees was pretty limited, Maxwell House was the most economic choice, blending flavor and price for a good fit with my budget here. I'm hoping I am not sorry about not choosing the coffee that was $9 for a half pound. It may prove easier to just get coffee each morning at the local bakery and coffee shops, with $2.00 a cup, but I like having my coffee right when I get up in the morning.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24
Hey Lady, You're Driving On the Wrong Side of the Road!
No, actually, that's normal here. Stay to the left is the rule of thumb here. I have adjusted and drove to Maho Bay last night and from/to Maho Bay today. The roads are narrow and winding and challenging when mixed with the need to drive the opposite of what I had been trained to do my whole life. I was surprised to find it only took me about one 30 minute drive to “get it” entirely.
I kicked off the work day today with a Hurricane Plan Meeting! More or less, the island gets shut down if landfall is imminent and likely. The hurricane season this year has good chance of being normal, not particularly bad and not particularly good. 24 hours before landfall, we'll shut down the park and get visitors to leave the park, from what I gather. We reviewed the Incident Command System (ICS) in the event of a hurricane and who will be doing what, where. Lets keep our fingers crossed that we don't have any bad hurricanes this year. I think in the event of a category 4 or 5, we'd need to evacuate to Puerto Rico or elsewhere, but I'm not sure.
I worked on my task plan for this internship a lot today and tried to tidy up my list of items I'll need to address while I'm here. There is much to explore in the park and plenty of people to meet. I'm hoping that as the next few weeks unfold I'll have more time to interact with the folks here on the island in the park and get a better feel for how visitor and employee safety is being evaluated and how I can help the situation.
On the way home today I stopped off at Trunk Bay and spent around an hour snorkeling and relaxing on the beach. Trunk Bay's underwater trail is worth a visit if you've never been snorkeling before. If you've been SCUBA diving, it's a nice reef that has some great shallow areas where macro shots are very possible with the clear water and gentle surf (in the summer). Fins are a must, or at least I found myself using them quite a bit to sit still for some shots and clips of movies I took underwater. I saw several couples swim along with no fins and just a mask and goggles. I think I'd get tired faster without fins, but that's just me. I had the ambitious goal of snorkeling around the entire island that fills Trunk Bay, but since I was snorkeling alone I thought better of it and stuck to the trail before heading back to shore. Next time I go out to Trunk Bay, hopefully I'll have a water buddy and attempt the lap around the island with a little more safety.
I've been awful about posting my blog updates each day, but now that I have internet at the home and in the office, I should be much better. Tonight, I've forgotten my charger at the office. I don't know how I forgot to unplug my charger, but I'm crossing my fingers that it's in the office. Perhaps I got confused with where I'd plugged it in and thought it was part of another computer, thus leaving it plugged in. Replacing a charger here in the USVI would be more than a hassle, so lets keep our fingers crossed that I'll find it first thing tomorrow in the Maintenance Office.
Tuesday, June 23
Mosquito Bites, the Gift That Keeps on Giving
Mauled by mosquitoes and no-see-ums in my house while catching up on e-mail on the freshly connected internet was not how I anticipated spending the rest of my night. I've now got red bumps covering my lower legs. The spot where I've decided to set up my laptop on the desk by the wireless connection is not really a great spot, I've come to learn. I feel like my legs are on fire with all of the itchiness. I will need to rub on some serious cortisone shortly. I have two bites on my right ring toe. I have a few on my fingers. The ones on my fingers and toe seem to itch and hurt the worst. I think I may actually take a bennadryl tonight.
I think every dusk that I spend outside is the time I get bit the worst (no duh). I've got no-see-ums that have bit me and covered my legs in little red bumps. Then there are the monster big red lumps from real mosquitoes. I've got bites in all stages; some are a week old (from Rainier) and some are less than a few minutes old. I'd say they all make my legs perpetually in a state of agitation. On the whole though, fortunately, I've decided just to ignore the itching and get on with my life.
Tuesday, June 23
Welcome to the Biosphere
I have a desk! I'm suddenly a happier person knowing I have a place to sit all day and do some work! I have broadband access and feel more connected to the world again. I am a spawn of the technology age, I can't help it. The name of my office area is the biosphere. I'm not sure why it's called the biosphere, I guess it's got something to do with all the natural and resource management people that work in that general area. My office is in building 3. The A/C is on full blast and I will get goosebumps all over if I don't wear a long-sleeve t-shirt. The reason it is so cool is because there is a server that runs in the cubicle next to mine. I do believe it is a lovely blessing to have the AC on – it's a great opportunity to escape the sweltering heat/humidity.
I'm filling my week up quickly with meetings to meet park staff and discuss issues related to park safety. I'm so excited every time we get to hop in a truck and drive somewhere to check out a site or go to/from areas within the park. I love watching out the window and catching glimpses of the wonderful scenery. Three months may not be long enough to soak in all of the scenery. I also enjoy the drives to and from here and there since it's usually a great opportunity to pick the brain of whoever I'm driving with, which so far has been either Beth (roommate) or Keith (supervisor). What's more, the roads are generally a safety concern, so it's easy to point out things as we drive along that could be fixed to improve safety for staff and visitors alike.
My second package has still not arrived. I guess I just will need to wait a little bit longer. I mailed it on June 12. It's now June 23. That's 11 days. It was parcel post. I think they have like up to 18 days or something longish. I will keep adding updates until this magical package finally arrives.
The evening wrapped up with the regular Tuesday dinner at Happy Fish. The sushi at Happy Fish is allegedly delicious so I was happy to go out for some socialization and my favorite meal. I was happy after I ordered my mixed plate of sushi rolls, tekke, maki, and ebi rolls, 8 of each, $15, with a bowl of miso soup included. While the bowl of miso soup wasn't the best I've ever had, the sushi was decent and I was happily full when my plate was empty.
I got behind the wheel for the first time since arriving here in STJ on the drive from Happy Fish to our house in Maho Bay, in the dark. With the winding roads and steep switch-backs, I thought the drive would actually be easier in the dark. Indeed, the illumination from oncoming cars' headlights is quite useful and helps provide a little bit of a warning. I drove home without any incidents and parked the car in our long driveway without too much trouble. I'll have to show you a picture of our driveway. I think the driveway is the most scary part about driving on the Virgin Islands. There is a steep hill leading off one side of the driveway without any guard rails, so if you turn too sharp going too fast, I could easily see how one might tumble down the hill, rolling over and over again. In the case of a washed out road after heavy rains, I think I'll opt for parking at the end of the driveway that is on the street, since we are the end of a couldesac.
New photos are on facebook! Please check it out. More will be added to my Barnwood Studio album once I pick out the really spectacular ones. If you like them, please buy prints and have them for your own enjoyment, 24/7 on your wall, in a frame, or elsewhere.
Monday, June 22
“Dis is De Islands, Mon”
There is a plant here called catch-and-keep. It is not something for you to catch and then for you to keep. It is a lovely fern-like plant that actually is covered in micro-thorns. They catch and then keep your skin, clothes, socks, or whatever they can. Don't touch that plant. I was giving a similar warning and I have so far, been able to keep away from these plants.
On the way into work, I saw 2 mongoose crossing the road today. Once at the maintenance office, I was introduced to an awesome air conditioned room, which I was thankful to spend a few minutes, waiting for Keith to come into the office for the day. It seems like I will not have cellular signal if I am located in the Maintenance area. At my house, there is limited signal, but generally enough to make a phone call. I got a strange text warning me there would be a charge of $19.95/mb for data usage. That's an awful high price. I mentioned the message to Keith. I made a long phone call to AT&T and confirmed I'd like roaming for phone and data turned off and blocked for my phone. Apparently, services like Boat Phone will broadcast their signal from things like cruise ships and other things off the island and the phone will pick up the tower, and charges will apply as if you're on the boat or off the island. I recommend shutting off data roaming and phone roaming as soon as you land here, since most parts of the north shore will pick up the signals from the British Virgin Islands and nearby ports where Boat Phone may be broadcasting.
The weather here is 90 and party cloudy, every day. I will add a gadget to my blog soon with weather forecast updates. Perhaps then everyone could see the weather I'm facing and also be warned if there is any impending hurricanes coming my way.
Monday, June 22
Who is the New Girl?
I forgot to add it to yesterday's post, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! I did call and e-mail my Dad a happy father's day message. I'm hoping to find something fantastic and cool to send him to thank him for being such a wonderful and supportive Dad.
I'm the new girl in town, that is for certain. I had met Keith yesterday so it was immediately nice to have a familiar face in the office once I arrived for work. I started the day with beginning to go over the task plan I'd created during the Mt. Rainier training. About 15 minutes into the day, Keith got a phone call about taking a boat into St. Thomas (STT) to get some paint put on a new boat. The aluminum hull won't last long here without a special paint job. He turned to me and asked if I wanted to go on a boat ride.
Pause...
OF COURSE I DO! I was floored. We left the office and met Peter, the boat guru around these parts, and set off to put the boat in so we could take it to STT to get the paint job completed. We had to take two boats, since the new one would get left at STT and Peter would still need a ride back to STJ. Off we went in the Line of Duty and the new Safe Boat. Peter likes to ensure he's maximizing usage of the boat's engines. As we traveled across a small bit of water to get to STT, Keith pointed out several neat spots along the shores of more than a dozen islands. There are shallow reefs and large rocks jutting out from the ocean floor and often times, those spots surprise unsuspecting boat motorists. There is one pair of large boulders sticking out of the ocean, one is Calf and one is Cow. They say never to get between a calf and a cow. In this case, it's for good reason, the bottom is likely less than a few feet from the surface.
We pulled into the marina and stepped onto the dock. After about thirty or forty minutes all the necessary arrangements were complete and we were able to leave the boat in the marina and head back to St. John. But wait, there was a new phone call on Keith's phone. He's the Chief of Maintenance and he had a message from the Park Superintendent, Mark. Mark was out on a kayak trip performing a risk assessment on the kayak guided tour to Hassell Island. The Liberty, the boat he'd taken out, wasn't working properly. Since we were with Peter, the boat fixer-upper and supreme kahuna of boat mechanics for the park here, we set off for Frenchtown. Another thirty minutes along the docks of a marina. I was happy to stand there and soak up the fresh scenery and amazing views. The sailboats, yachts, houseboats, dingys, kayaks, canoes, and rowboats are moored every which way in every cay, bay, and island area. It turned out to be a blown fuse. I enjoyed a cold bottle of Coke and learned more from Keith about various bits of park information. From the marina, I saw seaplanes taking off and landing just about every 20-30 minutes. Rather than use a ferry, there is a 20 min. flight to get to and from St. Thomas to St. Croix and part of Puerto Rico. While waiting at the dock, I also got a real great first-hand look at culture and interactions here in the Virgin Islands. It's totally different than the hustle and bustle of the city and Washington D.C. One phrase I've heard here that not only expresses a transportation issue, but could be viewed as an analogy: there's not really any traffic, but there's nowhere to park.
We pulled out of Frenchtown ready to get back to work. Keith suggested we head off in a different direction than we came so I'd get a chance to see more of the coastline. We drove past Hassell Island and some beautiful ruins a dozen feet from the coast. The small island is overgrown with lush vegetation and crews are currently working there to clear large areas near the ruins so visitors can start to enjoy the site once again. We saw a boat on one of the access areas by the ruins. The bow looked to be oddly high. The stern, oddly low. Keith turned to Peter, “Hey Peter, why does that boat look like it's sinking?” Peter turned his attention to the boat, and confirmed it was because the boat was sinking. Our course diverted once again. About six 15 gallon containers of herbicide were loaded on the stern of the boat. Also, the stern was facing the incoming and lapping waves/wakes created by the large cruise ships and seaplanes. The combination was causing water to flood over the transom right into the boat. The bilge area isn't water-tight on this particular boat, so we moved in quickly. Right away some workers (the ones clearing vegetation) helped remove some containers of herbicide from the boat. Peter shouted to the boat operator to shut off the engines, turn on the bilge pumps, and get those containers off the boat. After some hurried movements and more shouting, the boat's bilge pumps were in full action, gushing out water. Six or seven of us hopped onto the bow and tried to weigh down the front of the boat to counteract the weight of all the water. Another thirty or forty minutes elapsed. The bilge area was full by the time we'd arrived, so even after we left, there was still about five inches of water left to get pumped out. The boat did start again and left the dock safely, eventually. We set off to return to St. John. What had started as a 20-30 minute trip turned into almost four or five hours. I had put on some sun screen, but not knowing I'd be out for so long in the sun (each time was a surprise and sudden), I did get roasted quite thoroughly on my shoulders (se la vie with tank tops). It just so happened by the time I noticed my gnarly sunburn, I was standing less than 10 feet from an aloe plant. I pulled off a leaf/branch of the plant and immediately coated myself in a thin layer of sticky and wonderful aloe.
After returning from the adventure at sea and roving around on the law enforcement vessels, it was time to do a land tour. My nickel tour of the island, provided by Keith, was amazing. We drove from Cruz Bay all the way across the north shore and then down the eastern side, past Coral Bay, down to Ram's Head and VIERS, and Lameshur Bay. There are wonderful views every place I have stopped. Even the landfill on St. Thomas has a nice view (for the dump trucks). There are iguana (with sharp and nasty tails), wild donkey (seen a few so far), mongoose (squirrel-like without fat tails), scorpion (no sightings yet), millipedes (no sightings yet), wild chicken, goats (they're cute, but wild and crazy), and herds of mosquitoes unlike any I've seen before. The roads are narrow and winding. I never know what will be behind the next turn. I suppose after I've been here longer I'll find that the roads are really just narrow and winding. I can't wait to explore even more of the island. While on my short tour, Keith pointed out many trails, got me a trail map for the island/park, showed me several sites for sugar plantation ruins, stopped off at the viewpoints, and helped answer my many and numerous questions about the park and my concerns about safety for visitors and employees alike. I also got a great briefing on the island culture and some of the challenges I'll face this summer in dealing with a few of the risk areas and safety concerns that Keith also pointed out along the tour.
Between the boat incidents and the island tour, the day filled up quickly. I met up with Beth and we decided to stop at the grocery store, Star Fish, and pick up some supplies before going to our relatively remote little home. I have heard many things about prices here in the USVI, particularly in St. John so I was interested to see what it might cost me for a tub of yogurt or maybe some crackers. I am still waiting on my second package of goodies, so the trip to the grocery was a bit unavoidable. Here is what I got:
Italian Dressing (really small bottle, <6 oz.): $2.95
Stonyfield Farm 32oz. Yogurt: $3.00
Nabisco Low Sodium Saltines (4 small sleeves of crackers): $6.25
The total was $12.20. Not bad. The crackers I think were a little pricey, but not terrible. I guess it's things like toothpaste and toilet paper that really get you. We got 12 double-rolls of the no-name brand and it was over $12 for the one item. It's my turn next to purchase toilet paper.
On the way home from the grocery we stopped off at all the pull-offs and scenic views along North Shore Road. Once back at Island Fancy, we took a small hike down the hill to the beach area for Island Fancy and Maho Campgrounds. I peeled off my shoes as fast as you can say untie. I dipped my feet into the warm water and screamed inside with happiness. What a wonderful water temperature. I waded deeper and even with water up to my knees, the water was so clear I could see my feet, crystal clear. Amazing.
After our hike, I prepared a dinner of madras lentils and Kashi's 7-whole grain pilaf, one of the items that did arrive with my first package. The meal was delicious and I saved half of it to eat for lunch or dinner later.
Oh, I forgot to mention! I got a sweet sweet box of SCA Swag today. I got at least 2 long sleeve t-shirts, 2 cotton polos, 1 cotton t-shirt, a hat, some patches, a nametag, a camelbak water bottle, a nice cloth bag, and a journal.
As I settled in and prepared for bed I couldn't help but feel like I'm in the jungle. The tropics and my new home has brought the sounds of birds squealing and chirping, large animals brushing against the vegetation, buzzing of mosquitoes, and the dull hum of my ceiling fan.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday, June 21
Arrival in St. John and Overwhelming Slices of Grilled Pizza
Travel to St. John is now complete. I'm officially living in the US Virgin Islands. I must admit, I love my life right now.
The flight in from Chicago put me at home by midnight. From midnight until somewhere around 4:38am, I did laundry and re-packed my bags, this time for St. John and the US Virgin Islands awesomeness. I slept for about an hour and was happy to have Hokie with me curled up at the end of my bed. I'll miss her while I'm away.
I woke up tired, as can be expected when running on 1 hr of sleep, and headed for the airport. I arrived with plenty of time to spare and initially scoffed at the idea of using curbside check-in. I proudly tried to lift my heavy bags and proceed through the double doors. The Sky Cap for Delta was irresistibly nice. He helped me wheel my bags back to the curbside check-in, skipped me to the front of the line, and handled my bags for me really quickly. As I prepared to leave the young man behind, he reminded me that Gratuities were appreciated.
About 12 hours later, I finally arrived at my house in St. John. The two flights, taxi, and ferry went a little bit like this:
An overworked and snappy flight attendant for Delta warned me my carry-on was far too large and it would likely be rejected at the gate in Atlanta. Why would it get through DC on a small plane and not out of Atlanta on a larger plane? It's a carry-on. I got anxious and nervous about having to check my bag last-minute at the gate in Atlanta, of course. What happened? I got to Atlanta, carried on my bag, no problem, no comments, it fit in the overhead bins just fine.
I landed in St. Thomas. There has never been a flight where the passengers have been so unanimously excited to be on the ground and pointing out the window. As the guy in the seat next to me pointed out, this would not happen upon arrival to somewhere like Cincinnati. The couple sharing the row with me on the flight from ATL to STT were on their honeymoon. What a cool place to visit for a honeymoon!
We got a flat tire while en route to Red Hook via the taxi. Flat Tire! Honestly, the guy was going to try and fix the tire and then take us to the ferry dock. The wait would have meant missing the 5:00pm ferry and having to wait until the 6:00pm ferry. Based on my flight time, I should have been on the 4:00pm ferry... so having a delay and standing in the hot beating sun wasn't looking like a great time. Fortunately, another Taxi saw we were in distress and offered to take 4 passengers on to the ferry dock. Thank goodness! I made the 5:00pm ferry!
On the dock at St. John (STJ), I collected my things and headed for the street. I found Keith and we big each other a quick hello before making the walk towards the visitor's center to load up his truck with my things. As I tried to figure out all the cars driving on the wrong side of the road, I navigated the sidewalks and streets, passing several wild chickens. The clucked happily down the street, bobbling their necks along the way. Keith drove me from Cruz Bay and pointed out several points of interest along the way. Lind Point, where I should be living in about two to three weeks, is a nice area with duplex housing overlooking the ferry dock. The music plays in the bay below and carries up to the windows of these homes, often until 3am. While one could consider it a free stereo (my perspective), others find it to be somewhat of an annoyance. We drove on, through the park, along the North shore, stopping at a few overlooks to snap some photos of the amazing scenery. I really enjoy the density of great photographic scenes that fill the twists and turns of the roadways and island's perimeter.
We drove deeper into the park and finally arrived at Island Fancy. That's right. The name of my house is Island Fancy. It's even spelled out in a cast iron fence at the end of the driveway. The residence is arguably the best housing in the park. In fact, I'll have to move out in about 2-3 weeks so the new deputy superintendent or chief ranger can live here. Very cool. The view from Island Fancy is superb. Located at Maho Bay, right near the campgrounds, there is a sense of quiet and serenity here. I hear the birds chirping and the bugs buzzing, all hours of the day. As soon as I had arrive at Island Fancy, I met my roommate, Beth. We'll be roommates the whole 12 weeks that I'm here in STJ. She's already been here about two weeks, working as a Transportation Engineer, through an organization that works with the National Parks. After taking some time to settle in, Beth and I set off for Lind Point, where several rangers and park service folks have a weekly Pizza cook-out on Sundays. It was awesome to meet several Lifeguards, some Law Enforcement guys, a park ranger or two, and get to know them better. I even ended the night with a new facebook friend, Tom, one of the Law Enforcement Rangers.
The pizza was delicious and I'm very excited to know I've got a weekly fun event to add to my calendar. The long drive back, a little after 9pm, took a decent amount of time. I asked Beth and confirmed it takes about 30 minutes to get from the Visitor's Center to Maho Bay and Island Fancy. Quite the trek. It's just over 6 miles, I think.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20 – Day 7 Training
Clouds, Connections, and No More Conifers
Seattle to Chicago. Chicago to DC. DC to Miami. Miami to St. Thomas. St. Thomas to St. John. St. John into Cruz Bay. I sent ahead two large boxes to St. John so I'd be ahead of the curve on buying up all the dry goods I knew I'd need once on the island. Only one box of the two packages has arrived. The one box arrived Wednesday. It's now Saturday. I'm hoping the other half of my packages arrives soon. Worst case scenario, I'll need to buy all the items I already bought, again. It would be a bummer to have to purchase those items again and also know I may never see the deliciousness that had been packed inside. Speaking of packages, I know I'm also getting a big box from the SCA with sweet swag to add to my existing collection of a stainless steel mug, a few patches, some stickers, a short stack of business cards, some pins, and oodles of training materials. There is a small thumb drive on the way as well, with useful files and documents from the training session.
Caitlin dropped by yesterday evening and was also able to swing by this morning for breakfast! It's so awesome to see folks from fun experiences in the past, especially when it's someone you weren't sure if you'd ever be able to see them again! She's a back country ranger for Rainier and needless to say, many folks ought to be quite jealous of her awesome job! I know I am! For 9 days, she'll head into the wilderness, rove around the trails, do fun Parky things, and then come back home for a few days off here and there. She's just taken a high-angle rescue course and is starting her Red Card on Monday. I'm stoked for her! Admittedly, I'm pretty stoked for me, too, since I'm going to the Virgin Islands. Caitlin stuck around the Community Building for a little while and helped everyone (SCA staff, interns, and NPS staff that were still around) clean up the building and return the facility to ship-shape. She even snagged a huge box full of groceries! There were lots of leftovers and obeying the Leave No Trace principles, we all packed ourselves nice Ziplocs of GORP, cookies, veggies, fruits, and whatever else we could stuff into our bags. There were large containers of mole, dal, pasta sauce, dry cereal, and all sorts of other goodies that Caitlin was able to add to her box. It was likely enough food to avoid buying groceries for several weeks. After a few obligatory and appreciated photos of the group, we parted ways and headed for the airport. I gave Caitlin a big hug goodbye and also hugged as many of the staff and other interns as I could. Hopefully, my path will cross the paths of those I had the fortune of meeting and getting to know during the week of training at Rainier.
I'm now sitting in Chicago's lovely O'Hare Airport. The airport is nice and I like the large quantities of people movers that are placed neatly along all of the terminals. I've just called a friend to let her know I'm headed back to the East coast, only to inform her that I won't actually see here while I'm in Virginia. I have about five hours before I leave my house, once I'm on the ground. I should arrive somewhere around 11:24PM. My next flight's departure is 7:59AM. Yikes!
While mulling around Seattle this morning I had the urge to hit the bathroom before my four hour flight. I ventured into the Women's bathroom and low and behold, to my utter non-surprise and non-amazement, the line was a dozen people long, or more. Who wants to wait in a line like that when their bladder is about to pop? Not me. I sneakily walked down the terminal a little ways and found the Family bathroom. I figured, it would be much faster to wait for a family of four, than to wait for a dozen or so women that are taking their sweet time and unloading their bellies... and other unmentionables. I chose poorly. The woman and her two kids took a seemingly endless amount of time to do whatever they needed to get done. I waited outside the door patiently. I'd say at least 20 women stopped and looked confused, stared at the family bathroom door (clearly labeled), looked at me, stepped in front of me (like cutting in line), and then looked at me as if I was the beholder of some magical answer that they needed. Nobody actually asked me, “Is this the women's room?” They just stared at me quizzically, one after the other.
In response to these puzzled women in need of bladder relief, I shrugged the first few times. Then, the nicer side of me kicked-in and I decided to actually point and verbalize, “The women's restroom is over there.” I grew anxious as I heard the jiggling of the door handle to the bathroom. It would jiggle, then not open. Jiggle, not open. Jiggle, not open. Who does that? Children. They jiggle the handle while mom tries to pee and of course, they finally figure it out and actually open the door, before they should. I heard the door open, I got excited, and then heard the door slam shut again, then the click of the lock sliding back into place. Damn. I had to wait some more. Finally, I saw the family of three leave and it was my turn. I wonder if it would have been faster to just go for the dozen-plus line at the actual women's restroom. I'll never know.
After the restroom break, time to refill the tank with some delicious coffee. Seattle. Starbucks. I found the Starbucks (Airport versions have never been something I enjoy, but I had little choice, and if you'd like, I can open whole can of worms on the topic of Starbucks in Airports). Seattle is the birthplace of Starbucks and so I thought, “I will get great service here and the best cup of Starbucks coffee, ever.” I ordered my tall coffee, the Pike Place blend, to be put into my sweet new swagalicious SCA mug. I confirmed it was a tall sized mug (12 oz.) and she added some coffee to the mug. I don't know what people do in Seattle, but to me, two inches is a little too much room for cream. I do usually put in a pretty decent amount of cream and sugar, but not 2 inches! After paying my $3 for the coffee and muffin, I went back to the counter after adding my required cream and sugar and requested some more coffee, so my mug would actually be “full.” The barista complied and filled my mug. I was a little disappointed with needing to ask for more coffee. I ordered a 12 ounce coffee (tall). Ergo, I should get 12 ounces of coffee. Again, I could really whip out a novel when it comes to the poor quality and poor service of Starbucks in airports (nutshell: it's a matter of consistency and also following the same policies and rules of the corporate retail stores, not an entirely different set of rules). In the defense of said Starbucks location, the coffee, once in my mug, was served hot and delicious.
Oh! I almost forgot- getting to the airport was a bit of a fun one. The drive was lovely from Mt. Rainier to Seattle's Seatac. I got into the terminal and prepared to check-in for my flights. Being radio-free for the past week has been awesome, but with the downside of not checking-in online ahead of time. Thus, I had no boarding pass or seat assignments to facilitate the quicker baggage checking process. As I waited in the line that looked like it might take the full two hours I had until boarding time, an agent stepped up on a box and began speaking into the P.A. system, declaring several flights that were nearing their cut-off times for check-in. I heard my flight announced over the loud speaker. I immediately jumped up and down and waved my arms (as instructed) and caught the attention of the agent. He instructed me to come straight to his check-in counter. Delightful! I did not have to wait in line for a grueling amount of time, just to check my bags! I literally had stood in line a full three minutes before the announcement was made. After I started walking toward the agent, it took just another few minutes before I was in line at the security checkpoint. I think it actually took longer at the security checkpoint than it did at the baggage check-in. Yay! (For not having to wait in long lines.) I didn't get a boarding pass with my early and accelerated check-in. In fact, I had to wait until after boarding had begun to get my seat assignment. I was really getting worried, do I have a seat, will my butt be on that plane? What on earth would happen if I got bumped, didn't get into DC on-time, didn't make my flights to the Virgin Islands, what a nightmare that would be! I grew more anxious as the passengers began lining up outside the gate entrance. I took action and approached the ticket counter for a fifth time (I'd already been to the customer service desk once and the ticket counter three times) and re-requested my boarding pass. At first, the agent told me I already had one. I told her I did not. We went back and forth a few more times and finally, she printed my pass. Economy Plus. I've never flown on United before, or haven't enough times to know what Economy Plus even means. I figured it was just a fancy way of saying coach. I was wrong, to my pleasure. I boarded the plane and found an insane amount of foot-room. I commented on this extravagance and wondered at why I had so much space to wiggle my little toesies. The man to my left (aisle seat) informed me that I was in Economy Plus, which is like 6-8 inches of extra foot room, typically costing a passenger an extra $40 per seat, or it's a free upgrade for frequent flyers. Wow! Sweet sweet foot room! I guess there may have been some kind of situation where they were hoping to shove me at the back of the plane, but it turned out the only free seats were in this fancy area, so there I was assigned. It is totally worth the $40 (I didn't have to pay it this time, but I would if I had the choice and the spare $$) to have that extra bit of room. I fell asleep before we even took off.
The in flight movie? The one about the shopaholic, the full title escapes me right now. It was great, I woke up from my nap and plugged in my headphones in time to watch the second half of the movie. Hopefully I'll be able to watch the first half sometime soon.
Friday, June 19 – Day 6, Part 2 Training
Pack it Up and Move on Out!
The canvas tent will be bare again very soon. I'm packing up my items and despite the feeling that I had brought way too much, there wasn't much in my bag that I didn't use. The hiking boots and running shoes didn't get any mileage, but easily could have, had I participated in one of the group hikes or runs. Unfortunately, both mornings that I wanted to get up early and go for a hike and/or run, the rain was pouring and I didn't feel up to the anti-hypothermia and anti-trenchfoot challenge. The fun part will be to see if when I arrive in the Virgin Islands, did I remember everything, enough for 3 months? I already realized things like sugar and cream for my coffee may be a bank breaking expense, so I've considered packing some powdered coffee-mate creamer and maybe a small container of sugar for the trip. My stopwatch died this week. The error message won't seem to go away. I will have to pick up a new watch sometime very soon or else I'll have to get one on the island.
Update:
After walking around on part of the Wonderland Trail and snapping a few photographs, I headed towards the Inn to see what interesting activities may have been going on. Between training and dinner there was a large space of free-time for the group. I made the journey to the Inn down the road with several others. We perused the general store and came across the “Mountain” bar sitting near all of the candy bars and other sweet treats. “What is Mountain?” Amanda asked. We all were perplexed by this blue wrapped “mountain.” Amanda bought the mountain. The mountain was shared with the group...or at least the mountain experience. It's a delicious chocolate (terd-like in appearance) mound with nuts and a vanilla frosting inside. I'd buy a case if I had more space in my luggage.
The storytelling done by our chef, Mary, was amazing. I have always enjoyed a true story that may or may not have happened. After a few stories by Mary, we went around the circle and heard more entertaining tales from others in the group. I wrapped up the evening with my telling of the events of my mom's birthday this past September.
We filled in the stories with delicious marshmallows roasted on the open fireplace in the community building. Roasted marshmallows are hands-down, yummalicious.
Friday, June 19 – Day 6, Part 1 Training
Final Day of Training at Mt. Rainier!
I helped with breakfast preparation this morning! It was a lot of fun to slice up some fresh fruit for the breakfast buffet. Mary, our chef, hails from a background of pretty neat-sounding scientific molecular biology studies. For over two decades she's been a professional chef and storyteller. As I sliced honeydew and cantaloupe, she told me a neat story about her interactions with one of her German professors for Reproductive Biology from when she was in school. The content of the story was “those things which we do not discuss.” Therefore, I will keep the topic as such and move on to other items in this post.
More training ensued as the day progressed from breakfast to lunch. It's hard to believe the week is almost over! We leave for the airport tomorrow morning at 10:00am! I'll spend just enough time in the airport to check-in and find my gate before I board my plane around 1:00pm. I should get home just before midnight if all goes well! Then, I'll frantically do all of my laundry from this week and pack for the Virgin Islands before departing a few hours later. I'm thinking I need to pack more shorts than originally planned. I've been very cold during this time in the Northwest, but the expected temperatures in the VIIS are more in the high 90's than the low 40's and 50's we've had at Rainier. Mid to high 90's should definitely be shorts-worthy.
Fade to black...we ate a lunch full of leftovers and freshly baked sourdough bread. Tasty.
We are ahead of schedule for the training and could possibly finish everything today, thus having quite a bit of free time tomorrow. It would be awesome if tomorrow's extra free time could somehow turn into a short trip to Seattle before getting to the airport. I've started packing and preparing for departure. The long 8+ hours of fly-time home is super soon. Doing more hiking here on the mountain would be sweet, so hopefully, if not tomorrow, I can come back sometime and check out more of the hiking.
Thursday, June 18 – Day 5 Training
Huge and Scary Caterpillars!
Nightmares about fluorescent, lion-fish-like, attacking caterpillars while bouldering near a river with one of my friends kept my brain racing all night. Not surprisingly, I was a bit exhausted, rather than well-rested when the alarm went off. I had considered doing an early morning hike pre-breakfast. The sounds of rain drops crashing into the canvas of our tent filled the night air well into the wee hours of the morning. The mossy ground was well soaked with fresh moisture when I stepped out of my tent. My awesome tent-mate, Jen, woke me up to inform me I had just 10 minutes to finish breakfast before lecturing began! Woops! I hustled to get to the bathroom, dress, and get in gear. I ended up getting into the lecture about 15 minutes late. I hung my head in shame, figuratively and literally, for being late to the training. I do not like being late, as I'm sure most people would likely admit. I waited for a break in the training and scurried into the kitchen to help eat some of the delicious leftover pancakes. They were tasty, even without butter or syrup. Even better were the delicious sausage patties I had on the side. Mary, our cook, is quite amazing and makes very tasty food. She hails from New Hampshire, near the SCA Headquarters, and is off to New Mexico next to delight folks with her culinary skills.
Another item regarding Ins/outs here at Mt. Rainier, we've got fresh coffee going all day, every day. I love having my mug full of deliciousness. I have been drinking at least one mug each day. I've been drinking my coffee out of a fantastic green stainless steel mug that I got from the SCA. I love swag. The mug has the SCA logo on it and it's even got a travel mug lid that can be closed when I'm not in the process of drinking. It's fabulous. My mug fetish continues and I have another mug in my collection. Insert a small jump for joy and a big smile here. Coffee isn't quite enough to keep me hydrated here at higher altitude (near 3000 ft.), so I've been drinking roughly 3L each day. Yesterday I think I was more around 2.5L and today I'm a little bit behind, something like maybe 1.5L so far, but it's still just 6:00pm. I do admit, I like not having to pee constantly.
Today's training included a review of Risk Management Task Plans for a few folks in the group. After a few plans, we continued our AERIE Backcountry Medicine training. I had a happy conversation with the AERIE instructor; I will be able to use the wilderness medical training for my continuing education units for my EMT-Basic certification requirements. The EMT certification I have requires something like 48 hours of continuing education over a two year period. After this week, I'll have 16 hours towards that requirement fulfilled! I just need to write in a letter/complete a form and submit it to the National Registry and I'll be done!
The day wrapped up with an awesome scenario outside involving many patients and lots of patience. I played the role of patient and was told I was quite convincing with my distracting injuries. There's nothing quite like a well-done moulage job. I do believe there were some awesome photographs taken during the experience and hopefully I'll be able to see a few copies sometime soon.
Wednesday, June 17 – Day 4, Part 2 Training
Real Northwestern Weather
The day was full of training, once again. No surprise there! Today's main focus was the AERIE Wilderness First Aid training that filled our minds from 8:00AM through 5:00PM. David, our instructor from AERIE is great! The content is not anything particularly new to me, but it's always interesting to re-take and re-learn useful information, especially when it's skills for the back country. AERIE's format is definitely a bit different from the WMI style, but it's the same content and it's the same basics, especially in the case of First Aid. It always boils down to the ABC's. Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. I spoke with the instructor and fortunately, he's going to tack on some extra skills so I can refresh my Wilderness First Responder certification. Likewise, for tonight's basic CPR class, he'll be adding on some extra items so I can renew my CPR for Professional Rescuers status. Wee! It'll be nice to have my CPR and WFR last just that much longer (6 months, 1 month, respectively)
I keep seeing the peak of Mt. Rainier when the clouds take their daily coffee-break. It's a lovely surprise to walk out during one of our breaks and to see the beautiful mountain towering over the park. Speaking of awesome items in the area, I'd love to be able to visit Seattle before I head home from the training. I'm not sure I'll be able to make it happen, but I'll cross my fingers and hope that on Saturday, on my way back to the airport, there's enough time for a nice detour, just long enough to check out Pike's Place Market.
I also got to experience the unique misting, found only here in the extreme Northeast of the United States. Like small needles falling from the sky, little pin pricks touch your skin, but no moisture can be felt when you sweep your hand across your skin.
New certifications:
AERIE Wilderness First Responder
CPR for the Professional Rescuer
Tuesday, June 16 – Day 3 Training
Making Parks Safer
Another schedule smack-down. The schedule we've got here is pretty exhaustive. I'm hoping I'll be well prepared for the internship after covering so many topics and getting so much training! We spent the morning covering communication and cultural competency. Skills like good listening just don't come naturally to some people. I think more people are gifted in talking than listening. Seems like people in the program here are all quite good at listening and speaking, which was refreshing
After a break for lunch, we launched into Injury Epidemiology. There are some really surprising bits of information about the level of fatalities and injuries that occur in our nation's parks. Most alarming to me are the stories of incidents where people do things like stepping into blatantly dangerous situations, then having a serious injury or fatality, and in turn, suing the park service. Jumping across a waterfall is just a bad idea. Walking around engineered items like guard rails and fencing are clearly bad ideas. The fence or physical barrier was installed for a reason, likely as a safety precaution. Worse yet are the folks that jump into raging river waters for a swim without ever knowing the river isn't even suitable for enjoyment from within a water craft such as a raft, canoe, or kayak. I'm certainly glad to be a part of the new program of Public Safety Management Interns that will be flocking into the parks this season. Apparently, we are part of the pilot program; a lot of interns will be doing the first ever assessments of risk and injuries in the parks where they're assigned. Fortunately for me, I'm the second one to visit the Virgin Island National Park as a Public Safety intern. There is already a Risk management Assessment tool in place (hopefully it is still being used), so I should be a bit ahead of the curve.
Interesting factoid (I seem to have a lot of these lately): the cause of most deaths in parks nationwide is drowning.
It's movie night tonight! Yeah We'll be watching “Touching the Void.”
In other news, my stopwatch broke. It seems to still have a working display, although it only shows me random numbers and no time. Also, none of the buttons make the display change from the assortment of numbers that are now showing. I will have to investigate how to get a new stopwatch, nothing is more valuable than a second-hand when trying to assess a patient's heart rate or noting the time during a response to a medical or traumatic incident.
I've sold 2 books today and hopefully will be able to share the novel with at least five more people while here at Mt. Rainier. Caitlin finished the novel recently and happily reported that she loved it! Based on what she told me, the last 100 pages or so were quite gripping and enjoyable!
A few moments remain until dinner is served. I will happily engorge myself on some delicious delights and settle into a nice chair to watch the movie. Afterward, I think it's time for another shower. I've realized the camping lifestyle makes it far too easy to skip showers all-together.
Monday, June 15 – Day 2 Training
I Saw the Mountain!
Bright sunshine bleeding through the white canvas wrangled me from sleep this morning. The heavy clouds still cover Mt. Rainier's peak from my camera's viewfinder. I have hopes of seeing the peak later this week. I hear some visitors never see the peak during their visits to the park.
After breakfast and lunch, I stopped holding my breath. The peak revealed itself and displayed all of its glory. What a magnificent sight!
We spent the day busily completing the schedule of lectures, orientations, and introductions. I learned about exciting Leave No Trace policies and things like how it takes 1 million years for glass to degrade, compared to the 1-5 years for cigarette butts and leather. Surprisingly, it takes something around 50 years for aluminum or tin to biodegrade.
After the lectures and formalities of the day, it was time to have a little bit of fun! We all loaded up into the cargo van and headed for Paradise. No, not the figurative paradise that we imagine, but the literal, a place here at the park called Paradise. What a wonderful place. In the warmer months (June isn't really all that warm here yet), the meadows are covered with heather and avalanche lilies. Right now, there is still a thick layer of snow several feet thick, suitable for summer tubing and skiing. We all spent less than an hour total in Paradise. The trip was just long enough to watch a lovely video at the Visitor's Center. I would highly recommend watching it anytime you are up here at Mt. Rainier.
After our trip to Paradise, it was time for dinner and another lecture was indeed scheduled for the evening. I had the most exciting pleasure of seeing a great friend from my training out in Wyoming for my Wilderness EMT certification. Caitlin, a back country ranger out here at Mt. Rainier, stopped by the community building! It was awesome to see her again and even more awesome to know we were both enjoying such a cool park! We took some time to catch up on our lives since we departed Lander back in May. We are both doing very awesome things for the next few months. For the remainder of the week, it looks like there is a possibility for Ultimate Frisbee on Thursday! Tuesday is out, since there is a scheduled movie night featuring a viewing of “Touching the Void.” Wednesday is a CPR class. The CPR class is a bit of a mute point since it's not CPR for the professional rescuer, the class is mostly useless for me. I just had my CPR training in January and EMT training in April. CPR is still pretty fresh in my mind.
There is talk of a group run around the Longmire area in the range of 5 miles or less. I'm not sure if I'll be able to make the full 5 miles, but I'll happily try for something like 1.5 miles and then turn around.
Now, for a tasty dinner of chicken mole and an evening session to discuss SCA and all of its wonderful benefits!
Sunday, June 14 – Day 1, Part 2 Training
The Hills Are Alive With Music
Three hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle was enjoyable and included some nice napping. Upon arrival to Sea-Tac, I was greeted by a break in the clouds during descent and a wonderful view of the area. Evergreens, a body of water, likely Puget Sound, bridges, homes, and overcast skies filled the landscape. I couldn't wait to deplane and inhale the exotic air.
It was wonderful. I smelled fresh, crisp, and unpolluted air. I met with a group of other eager interns at the airport baggage terminal and prepared for the final leg of the trip. For the next two hours, I rode in a van with six other interns and enjoyed the journey to Mt. Rainier National Park. We passed through Tacoma, Puyallop, Gig Harbor (not in that order), and Kent. I loved seeing the white profile of George Washington on all of the Washington State road signs.
The multi-lane highway narrowed into a winding road which bisected large forests of beautiful trees. Mileage signs for Mt. Rainier announced our nearing of the park. I was perplexed as I read the many signs and noticed arrows pointing towards Paradise. I know the National Parks are often times a paradise where we visit, but I had no idea the signs would be so gregarious as to just say something like “paradise, this way.” It was moments later that I realized Paradise is actually the name of an area within the park. Although Paradise would be a lovely destination, our two hour journey brought us to the Longmire campground.
My new home for the next six days is Platform Tent #6. The dazzling white canvas is in nice contrast to the cornucopia of green and brown covering the landscape. I have not seen so many shades of green in a long time.
After a nice dinner of spaghetti, flat bread, roasted garlic, mixed greens salad with a delicious homemade vinaigrette, fresh brownies, and green peas, I joined several others for my first hike of the internship. We set off using a map of trails in the area and selected Trail of the Shadows, a 0.7 mile loop around the Longmire Meadow, exploring the history of the Longmire Springs Resort.
Trail of the Shadows
0.7 miles round-trip
Self-guiding loop around Longmire Meadow explores the history of the Longmire Springs Resort.
Washington in a nutshell:
I found trees everywhere and the lush vegetation to be refreshing. The lichen and moss is beautiful. The sky is thick with cottony clouds and wisps of types of clouds I forget the names to, opening to slices of delicious sunshine. The long winding roads leading to Mt. Rainier National Park intersect small towns where the general stores are still the main way to get groceries and gas. There is no Walmart, No Starbucks, No cell service, and No wi-fi. I'm here and the white canvas platform tent is home. I like Tahoma.
Sunday, June 14 – Day 1, Part 1 Training
Up, Up, and Away!
The bags are packed, I'm ready to go, and some other awesome lyrics may be inserted here. It's game-time at Reagan National Airport. The four five hour flight to Phoenix departs in about half an hour. The airport is packed, per usual. I've been offered an opportunity to give up my seat for about $350, to get on the next flight that leaves in four hours. Getting a free voucher for a future flight sounds like a great idea, however, my final destination is not Phoenix, and my flight was much more than $350. When you get a flight 7 days in advance, you're not usually buying the ticket at fair market value, big surprise.
Time to board!
Update:
The flight between DC and Phoenix was over-booked. Oh, and over-weight, too. I've never heard of a plane being over-weighted. Once the plane was packed full of passengers, the flight attendants came onto the PA system a dozen or more times asking for more volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for the travel vouchers mentioned earlier. The one flight attendant even threatened using a lottery system if there were not enough volunteers. The lottery system would work like this: the more recently you bought your ticket, expensive or cheap, the more likely your name would be to get drawn in the lottery. That means, if your ticket was bought a few days ago and your final destination is Phoenix, you're in trouble. In his words “you better just give up your seat now.” I did buy my tickets just a few days ago, but since Phoenix is not my final stop, I had a good deal of hope my name would be spared from the lottery. After another 20 minutes or so sitting at the gate, we finally had enough volunteers, sans lottery. Sitting in the gate for nearly 45 minutes, waiting for people to give up their seats, I thought, “Yay, finally we will get going!” It wasn't over yet! Three of the last people to offer up their seats actually re-boarded the flight! Apparently, there was some confusion regarding how many folks really needed to bump to another flight. After hearing some bizarre sounds and high-pitched squeals coming form the aircraft, we set off down the tarmac and set off towards the skies.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Sport Sandal Faceoff: Keen vs. Chaco
Alright sport sandals, who is king of the trail, master of the high seas, kicker of dirt, and champion of the lounge? It really is a tough question.
I'll be doing plenty of walking since I won't have a personal vehicle.
I'd like to do dozens or more of the available day hikes that traverse the island, crossing through steep terrain, beaches, and ruins.
I'll be aboard dive vessels (I hope), and possibly do some sailing.
I'll be on the beach, too.
I have insanely high arches and I was once told to never wear flip-flops again by a podiatrist
I hope that doesn't make me sound like a horrible shoe shopper. I'm sure I was the worst nightmare for the dude at the outfitter. Nevertheless, the guy that helped me was pretty nice, brought out like ten boxes of different sizes, shapes, and colors of both sandals for me to try on in the store.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Moon Handbooks, Virgin Islands
I've just finished dinner with one of my most fantastic friends, Jennie. In search of some tasty fare that could be considered unique to the upper 48, we went to Sine Irish Pub. We each indulged in a delicious meal that included the pairing of a Shepherd's Pie with a pint of Guinness. The Irish Nachos were also quite delicious. After we chinked our pints and wished for a happy voyage, we dove into one of the awesome parting gifts I received from Jennie, a copy of Moon Handbooks, Virgin Islands.
What an awesome handbook for anybody travelling to the Virgin Islands! I've reviewed my copy of Frommer's (which is sort of nice), but the Moon version is TEN TIMES BETTER! If I were to list all the reasons why the Moon version is superior, I'd have to write a separate post. Let me just summarize by saying the maps are much more detailed, the hikes more well-defined, the local events better highlighted, and the material more educational. I actually just learned about "The 1733 Slave Rebellion" and discovered I'd be wise to bring along a pair of binoculars for some bird-watching at Francis Bay Pond. I am interested in reading more of the handbook whenever I find some more free time. Perhaps I could read more about sugar making, hiking, local attractions, and the paradise-themed beaches during the 6 hour plane trip to Seattle, or on the return flight home, or on the flight to St. Thomas. Lots of upcoming flights.
Another delightful gift from Jennie was a bottle of Dr. Bronner's magical soap. It's a Hippie themed 18-in-1 cure-all cosmetic remedy sure to keep the nose hairs at attention. I've now become the proud owner of the Eucalyptus scented variety and more specifically, I hear it can be used for body wash, shampoo, deodorant, house cleaner, demon eradicator, and mosquito repellent. I'm not sure about the demon eradicating part of it, but the label seems to hint at some kind of religious and beast-defeating powers. I'll be happy if it spares me from Dengue fever and itchy arms and legs. If I also smell nice, that would be good too.
Just 48 hours until departure for my training in Mt. Rainier. I'll fly out of DCA around 7am (EST) and arrive in Seattle around 1:30pm (Pacific). The Wilderness First Aid training I'll get at Rainier will be a nice review but I'm still tempted to be a huge nerd and study my Wilderness Medicine Institute Handbook while on the plane and in the airports. Then again, US Airways may very well have an awesome in-flight movie, in which case, I'd be happy to enjoy the provided entertainment and/or spend some more time reading this handbook!
Hiking in St. John!
I've just spent some time with a map of St. John and I'm planning the first few hikes to enjoy when I get some free time down in the Caribbean. I'm anxious to try out my hiking boots and/or trail shoes (or snorkel gear, in the case of one) and enjoy these hikes:
Here's a link to the map: VIIS Map
Underwater Trail
Saltpond Bay Trail
Ram Head Trail
Yawzi Point Trail
Lameshur Bay Trail
Bordeaux Mtn Trail
Petroglyph Trail
Reef Bay Trail
Cinnamon Bay Trail
If you know of some other hikes that can't be missed while I'm there, please add your comments below!
American Foods on the Islands?
They are the US Virgin Islands after all... should I anticipate burger stations and hot dog carts on the streets? Hardly. I'm thinking of Caribbean pina coladas in coconuts with little umbrellas. Delicious grilled grouper sandwiches and jerk chicken plates with open-air patios and steel drum bands. In anticipation of my departure to the archipelago I've decided to visit as many "American" restaurants as possible during these last few days in Alexandria, VA. I gathered up the family and we all went to Outback to enjoy delicious steaks and a communal bloomin' onion. I still can't quite get over the irony of our trip for "American food" and how that meant we went to an Australian-themed steakhouse. The steak was under-cooked for me and over-cooked for my brother. Despite the improper preparation, both meals were still tasty and neither my brother or I had anything remaining on our plates for a doggy-bag. The following evening, yesterday, I filled up on a dinner of tasty hot dogs, Coke, and guacamole with tortilla chips. Nothing says American like the internationally inspired meal. Tonight, I will venture to an Irish Pub, Sine, and get my fill of Irish fare before I'm thousands of miles from a quality Irish Pub. Anybody know of a good Pub in St. John? I haven't been able to find one on Google yet. It looks like the nightlife scene in St. John is limited to early bedtimes. St. Thomas, however, is more in pace with the crowds of youngish persons willing to drop a few dead presidents for a pint or two. I'll have to report back once I've seen the scene first hand, rather than rely on my 8-year old copy of Frommer's.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The Travel Cycle
I have come to find that preparing for a trip can almost be as exciting as the trip itself. All the pre-trip planning, shopping, and packing can be as anxiety-inducing (the good kind of anxiety/excitement), as the flights themselves. After finally arriving at the intended destination, there is the excitement of someplace exotic with new smells, tastes, people, and climates. Then there's the trip home. I think the trip home is sometimes also quite exciting; getting to see friends and family after a long absence is always joyful and fun. The full cycle of travel definitely triggers something in my brain that makes it happy and excited.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Travel Details!
Woo hoo! All flights have been finalized and my travel dates are set!
The SCA Internship begins with a short trip to Mt. Rainier to get some training, including a WFA Certification and some National Park Service training. I'll get to learn about risk management techniques and loads of other fun stuff. The Wilderness First Aid training should be interesting. With an existing WEMT cert, I'll be glad to get the nice refresher. I'll leave for Seattle on June 14, travel to Mt. Rainier and stay in a lovely platform tent for the week. Hopefully I'll have enough free time to do plenty of exploring around the park. I'll fly home from Seattle on June 20th, getting into Alexandria sometime around midnight.
To keep the adrenaline rush flowing after a long day of flying home from the westernmost reaches of the lower 48, I'll have a 7 hour stint at home before I head off for the islands. The turn-around time will be short and likely only just long enough to wash my laundry, re-pack my bags, and be off to the airport. I am most excited to be on the plane headed for St. Thomas. From there, I'll take a ferry from Redhook to Cruz Bay. From June 21st through September 10th, St. John's Cruz Bay will be my home.
Now, time to go pack my bags!
Monday, June 1, 2009
New Job!
New Job: Public Safety Management Intern. Located at: Virgin Islands National Park.
I am going to the Virgin Islands for 8 weeks! I'll be helping teach school children and locals about injury prevention and risk management. Oh, and I'll be in paradise, too.
Loads of paperwork should hit my inbox shortly and I'm eager to start filling out forms for the SCA and get ready for the plane ride into the Caribbean.
I'll keep track of all my travels this summer, including photos, right here! Stay tuned for more!