We had a great time this past weekend!
Highlights:
Petra Mediterranean Deli in old town Tehachapi - awesome! Definitely worth revisiting.
Murray Family Farms just outside of Bakersfield - gorged ourselves on a variety of fruit, nut, snack, pie, preserve, and fudge samples - we could have skipped lunch. Had the entire field to ourselves as we picked blueberries straight from the bush. Also definitely worth revisiting.
Kern River Inn Bed & Breakfast - Great view of the river from our room. Hearty breakfasts and decadently delicious evening treats.
Kern River Outfitters Lower Kern Big Five Whitewater Rafting - "pool and drop" river, meaning flat stretches between each rapid. A bit boring... but one crazy rapid made up for it. Our guide frantically yelled out commands as we bounced our way through the rapids. Backwards. Someone flew out of the raft right into the person across from him, and both fell into the river. Panic ensued as we (well, not me - I was too busy freaking out) tried to pull them back in. Next time, I want something more continuously exciting. Maybe the Upper Kern?
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A tragic ending... ?
Don's physically fine, so stop your worrying right now.
But he just told me that he's planning to call it quits:
Just wanted to let you know that i decided to quit the pct. The hiking was ok, just very boring. No signs of other hikers. Starting today its even more boring hiking. It finally hit me yesterday that i might never be able to get away from work to start again. And it seemed to me that putting our whole summer on hold for a trip that might never come was unfair to you.
I feel i made a big mistsake in not realizing that a thru hike was no longer possible. Had i, i would have started at walker pass. Anyway, i'll be home today or tomorrow. Unless you talk me out of it, i'm going to tell work that i won't go out again. And we can start planning our summer.
I'm so shocked, stunned, sad... witness to a dream being crushed.
Still need to talk this through with him.
Will keep you posted.
But he just told me that he's planning to call it quits:
Just wanted to let you know that i decided to quit the pct. The hiking was ok, just very boring. No signs of other hikers. Starting today its even more boring hiking. It finally hit me yesterday that i might never be able to get away from work to start again. And it seemed to me that putting our whole summer on hold for a trip that might never come was unfair to you.
I feel i made a big mistsake in not realizing that a thru hike was no longer possible. Had i, i would have started at walker pass. Anyway, i'll be home today or tomorrow. Unless you talk me out of it, i'm going to tell work that i won't go out again. And we can start planning our summer.
I'm so shocked, stunned, sad... witness to a dream being crushed.
Still need to talk this through with him.
Will keep you posted.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Upcoming weekend!
This weekend, we'll be heading up to Kernville for some whitewater rafting! It'll be Don's first experience, and aside from some baby rapids back when I was 11, it'll pretty much be my first real experience as well.
On the way, we'll stop by Murray Family Farms for some U-Pick fruit action! (EXCITED!) And we'll also play our fair share of restaurant roulette. (excited?? make that "nervous")
On Sunday, I'll drop off Don (armed with a footlong Subway) for his next week of hiking.
On the way, we'll stop by Murray Family Farms for some U-Pick fruit action! (EXCITED!) And we'll also play our fair share of restaurant roulette. (excited?? make that "nervous")
On Sunday, I'll drop off Don (armed with a footlong Subway) for his next week of hiking.
Hiker Feet
Don had been complaining about an awful callus on the side of his big toe that rubbed against the neighboring toe, thereby causing severe pain. I finally got around to looking at it. (I was supposed to soak his feet, then show him the miraculous uses of a pumice stone. But Don kept threatening to get out his knife and cut it off. AHK!)
The "thing" on his big toe wasn't so much a callus... it was a blister that Don had popped. But he hadn't removed the extra skin, and that skin had simply dried up and hardened. Kind of like a blister version of a scab??
Anyhow, after taking a look, I decided a pumice stone really wasn't the way to go. I just peeled it off. Oh, and by the way, I made sure he had showered before getting anywhere near his feet.
Don then mentioned how the area was still a bit rough, so I whipped out my handy dandy foot file - basically an emory board for feet. Don went to work and soon fell in love, declaring that he'd take it on the trail if it didn't weigh so much!
I noticed Don's feet are looking pretty ragged - very rough, with bits of dead skin hanging from his toes (former blisters). So I'll pack up the pedicure supplies and spend some time fixing his feet this weekend in Kernville...
The "thing" on his big toe wasn't so much a callus... it was a blister that Don had popped. But he hadn't removed the extra skin, and that skin had simply dried up and hardened. Kind of like a blister version of a scab??
Anyhow, after taking a look, I decided a pumice stone really wasn't the way to go. I just peeled it off. Oh, and by the way, I made sure he had showered before getting anywhere near his feet.
Don then mentioned how the area was still a bit rough, so I whipped out my handy dandy foot file - basically an emory board for feet. Don went to work and soon fell in love, declaring that he'd take it on the trail if it didn't weigh so much!
I noticed Don's feet are looking pretty ragged - very rough, with bits of dead skin hanging from his toes (former blisters). So I'll pack up the pedicure supplies and spend some time fixing his feet this weekend in Kernville...
Ahh, the great outdoors...
While out running errands one day, Don had to use the restroom - in other words, we'd have to find a store that had one. Don then mentioned one thing he missed about being on the trail - being able to pee pretty much anywhere as soon as the urge hits.
Hm.
Hm.
New phone, sort of
So a new phone did arrive in the mail, but not a new battery. der!
After a call to customer service, we found out that before we could get a new battery, we'd have to go back to the Verizon store to get the battery tested. Don went over the weekend, but after being told it would be a half hour wait, then waiting for 15 minutes and not seeing any progress in the line, he left.
Oh well, on the bright side, Don says one of the problems he'd been having with the old phone isn't happening anymore. (The old phone wouldn't charge when it was off.)
After a call to customer service, we found out that before we could get a new battery, we'd have to go back to the Verizon store to get the battery tested. Don went over the weekend, but after being told it would be a half hour wait, then waiting for 15 minutes and not seeing any progress in the line, he left.
Oh well, on the bright side, Don says one of the problems he'd been having with the old phone isn't happening anymore. (The old phone wouldn't charge when it was off.)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
OY VEH!
Well now I'm glad I didn't update this sooner!
In a previous post, I said that Don might have to call it quits in early/mid July.
Then, the new plan was that Don would stay at work for a second week, but NOT plan on coming back to work until he finished the hike *unless* his boss contacted me to tell him to come back sooner.
The latest plan is that Don will resume his hike this Sunday (after our whitewater rafting weekend), but just for a week. That way, he can do the segment from Mojave to Kennedy Meadows before it gets too hot. Then he's back to work until things start to "calm down" (i.e., indefinitely). He's hoping that he'll be able to make enough progress at work to start hiking again when my parents visit in early July.
If things go well at work, this might actually be for the best, since the Sierras are currently a bit too snowy. And as he also pointed out, now he'll be around for my birthday! In previous plans, he would have been completely out of contact (no phone reception).
By the way, Don apologized for being such a high maintenance husband. Hah!
In a previous post, I said that Don might have to call it quits in early/mid July.
Then, the new plan was that Don would stay at work for a second week, but NOT plan on coming back to work until he finished the hike *unless* his boss contacted me to tell him to come back sooner.
The latest plan is that Don will resume his hike this Sunday (after our whitewater rafting weekend), but just for a week. That way, he can do the segment from Mojave to Kennedy Meadows before it gets too hot. Then he's back to work until things start to "calm down" (i.e., indefinitely). He's hoping that he'll be able to make enough progress at work to start hiking again when my parents visit in early July.
If things go well at work, this might actually be for the best, since the Sierras are currently a bit too snowy. And as he also pointed out, now he'll be around for my birthday! In previous plans, he would have been completely out of contact (no phone reception).
By the way, Don apologized for being such a high maintenance husband. Hah!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
