I Voluntarily Went Camping

That's right....You read it here first.  I voluntarily went camping this weekend.

It's been a bit of a crazy few days.  P. Fisher had the entire weekend off (which was a first since he started his new job in April) so we started making plans to get away from it all.  It started with plans to go to Yellowstone for the weekend.  And then that changed to going to Rocky Mountain National Park for the weekend.  And then all of that went awry....There was the possibility that I was going to be jumping on a plane....Once I knew I wasn't going anywhere, I suggested camping in the Uintas....Yes, that is correct, I suggested camping....voluntarily. 

I've been real camping once and it was very dirty.  I had fun, but I was very dirty and I like a shower a bit more frequently if I'm going to be smothered in dirt.  That was two years ago and I thought it was about time that I gave it another try. 

All in all, I'd do it again.  I got dirty this time, but I got to go home and take a shower.

I will say that the Uintas are pretty spectacular....It's beautiful up there....and quiet.  BUT, very, very cold.  I think I only slept for a couple hours because I was so cold.  I definitely could have used a couple of those hot water bottles they got me used to camping in Africa.

The highlights were definitely hobo dinners, hotdogs on a stick, and s'mores.  I saw one animal....One measly deer, a few robins, and a bazillion mosquitoes.  I even brought my binoculars and my birding books to identify all of the new birds I saw.  Maybe next time I'll have more luck with both the animals and birds.  The mosquitoes I can do without.  Today I look like one big red splotch from all of the mosquito bites....

The Bucket List

If you know me, you know that I obsessively make lists.  Everything from 'to-do' today to 'to-do' in life.  I referred to my list in an earlier post and here it is: the 'to-do' in life list.  I don't have the full 100 but it does expand occasionally.  For now the 60 or so things I have to do are keeping me plenty busy.  Some things are definitely more likely to happen than others, but I'll make the effort to get through it.  And really, what fun is a list like this if it's not a challenge??


(Here is the key: Not yet started  Complete  Started at some point but haven't gotten very far  A work in progress)

• Get a masters (A whole class in - Really enjoyed that Finite Element Analysis though)
• Get a Ph.D. (I'm thinking in religious studies - just to learn about it - I already know the topic of my dissertation)
• Climb The Great Wall
• Raise $100,000 for charity (Over a couple years I organized fundraising events)
• Run a half marathon
• Learn a second language (This all depends on what we define as learning a second language.  I know Latin pretty well but can't speak it.  If we don't count Latin, then this is barely started since I only know a handful of words in about twelve languages)
• Learn to play guitar
• Learn to play piano
• Try to surf
• See the Pyramids
• Write a book
• Join the Peace Corps
• Go on a safari
• Start a scholarship fund
• Make a quilt 
• Learn to knit
• Learn to draw/paint
• Run for public office
• Visit Denmark
• Visit Switzerland
• Visit Italy
• Visit Spain
• Visit Portugal
• See the Taj Mahal
• Go to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day
• Set foot in all 50 states (Up to 35 out of 50)
• Go deep sea fishing
• Ride in a hot air balloon
• See a baseball game in every MLB stadium (4 out of 30)
• Be a groupie (in the follow a band around for an entire tour sort of way...not the band-aid sort of way)
• Meet a U.S. President
• Learn to cook
• Start a restaurant
• Buy a house
• Read the Bible cover to cover
• Scuba Dive
• Learn to fly a plane
• Sky dive (It terrifies me)
• Learn to box
• Learn to dance
• Camp (Last week I crossed this one off the list)
• Go to the top of Mt. Timpanogos
• Stop at the view area (I don't know why I haven't done this yet - And for that matter, I'm not sure why it's on my list but it's something I always mean to do on my way home)
• Finish a triathlon
• Learn to ride a motorcycle
• Invent something
• Start my own business
• Ride a gondola in Venice
• Go to the opera
• Go to the movie theater alone
• Dine alone
• Ring the NYSE bell
• Be a delegate for a political party
• Donate a gallon of blood (I am 5/8 of the way there.  Only 3 more pints)
• Read all of Kurt Vonnegut's work (I think I am about half way there.  He wrote a lot of books)
• See the 7 wonders of the world
• Set foot on all 7 continents
• Go to all of the National Parks in Utah (2 of 5 so far - Arches and Zion down...Canyonlands, Bryce, and Capitol Reef left)

The Mystic Hot Springs

Last week while on the camping adventure, we spent a lot of time riding about on the Paiute ATV Trail and so as you may have guessed, a lot of the time I was covered in dirt and a little bit sore from more than 100 miles on an ATV over the course of two days.

That said, one of the highlights of our trip was the visit to Mystic Hot Springs. (Yes, I am being facetious. Kind of. It was a highlight because it is something to laugh at in retrospect but that's all.)

After two days outside, I was ready to go soak in the mineral pools. That is saying a lot since I am not usually one to soak in my own filth let alone other people's. (Also as I mentioned in an earlier post, I hate packing because I always feel like I'm forgetting something...especially when I don't know what I need for a new situation. I needed a swimsuit and I didn't have one.) Armed with clothes that were allowed to get wet and a change of clothes for my much wanted shower, ten of us headed to Monroe, Utah.

We arrived and this is what we saw:

Very nice, eh? It was an interesting experience to say the least.... (P. Fisher put it more like "This is the way horror movies start.")

That's about all I can tell you about it. I didn't have an opportunity to learn very much about it. (We asked what kind of minerals were in the hot springs and the response was "good ones." I did learn about what minerals are in the water on the website - and I also learned why myfeet were scalded when I touched the water. It is 168 degrees.) So I would say check out their website. They make it sound like a very nice place to visit.

The Camping Adventure....

I did it. I returned alive. No poisonous bug or snake bite (just a few mosquito bites). No broken bones. No burns. Stuff White People Like was wrong (this time)......Though they made me laugh a couple times at the sight of certain things.

The week started off a little rocky. I was nervous. All around nervous about job interviews and being outside for the next three/four days. Though, I did get a Sugar Baby's doughnut to start so that made it quite a bit better.

Richfield, Utah and Fishlake National Forest are in the center of the state....About three hours south of home. When driving along the major highways in Utah, there isn't a lot to see. Don't get me wrong. It is far more scenic than Nebraska and Wyoming because there are a few mountains giving the landscape something to look at. But 15 and 80 really don't do Utah justice. There is so much to see in this state and I am finally beginning to scratch the surface but even I realize that the major roads do not give Utah much appeal. If I were just passing through, I probably wouldn't put the state on my list to come back to. But, once you get into the mountains, it is beautiful and there are some real hidden gems.

So camping....Lots of things to say. I'll try to be brief. It was fun. I didn't sleep well. I am exhausted from being outside for the last seventy-two hours. I am pretty sure I could do it again. Things I would change: I would spend a little bit more time relaxing and I would have a hot dog on a stick over the camp fire.

We spent the first day golfing. The second day we rode the dirt bikes and 4 wheelers and then made an attempt at hot springs (that is a blog post to come). The third day we rode almost 70 miles.

All in all, a good time.

Camping

I hate packing! I really do. I'm going camping for the first time ever tomorrow through Thursday and I don't even know where to begin. All I have in my pile of stuff right now is a sleeping bag and a head lamp. (I'm told I won't need a head lamp despite S insisting that I will need one.)

If anyone has any suggestions in the next hour or so, let me know....

Now I'm Worried About Camping....Again

Thank you Stuff White People like for your latest post, #128 Camping. I was almost prepared to go and sleep outside. There are all sorts of negative scenarios I can come up with and had talked myself out of them but then with perfect timing this post came along....

I particularly liked: "Camping is a multi-day, multi-step, potentially lethal activity that will cost you a large amount of both time and money." And then: "Once in the camp area, white people will walk around for a while, set up a tent, have a horrible night of sleep, walk around some more. Then get in the car and go home. This, of course, is a best case scenario. Worst case scenarios include: getting lost, poisoned, killed by an animal, and encountering an RV. Of these outcomes, the latter is seen by white people as the worst since it involves an encounter with the wrong kind of white people."

Nice....Now I have to start over convincing myself that it's not the worst thing in the world.

The Uintas - How Have I Missed These for the Last TEN Years?

Yesterday I went up to the Uintas for the first time. I am completely aware of how ridiculous that statement is. June marked the 10th year of living in Utah and the Uintas are practically in my backyard.

Having the day off, this was a spontaneous adventure with the goal being Mirror Lake. My family used to go there every time I went back to school after we moved from Indiana. (Maybe not every time, but it certainly seemed like it) They even went fishing when I wasn't around.

So with some time on our hands, we decided to head up into the mountains. I am not the most outdoorsy person in the world yet I have a fascination with water and trees. Some of my issues with Utah are that so much of the outdoorsy stuff is in the middle of the desert where it is just way too hot for me. But this was perfect. It was beautiful. Lots of trees and lots of water. As I said, we were heading up to Mirror Lake. We never made it because the Provo River Falls distracted us. I love waterfalls and these were exceptionally nice. There is a place to park and a couple hundred yards of walking and you are there. There are three cascading falls and you can walk through the water and climb around the rocks from top to bottom.

The water was freezing but definitely worth walking through. (Lesson learned: bring some water shoes)

I'm excited to go back. And more importantly, I have decided that I am adequately prepared for a weekend camping trip. I have finally realized that camping is not necessarily backpacking miles into some slot canyon in the desert.

My concerns have been addressed. We watched people camping yesterday and I think I can handle it. My only requests. I would like to be near water and go fishing. Canoeing would be nice too but I'll take fishing for starters.