The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

What a weekend! I feel like I was non-stop busy, but it was so fun. Actually, I lied. Friday night I had Which Wich for dinner and watched The Dead Files and cross stitch. Not exactly thrilling, but exactly what I wanted. I got up early on Saturday to hike Vulture Peak, a mountain near Wickenburg. You can see it from pretty far away, and it looks kind of ominous. But the whole hike is only a little over 6 miles, and it wasn't too difficult. The last 200 feet up the mountain is a scramble, and the hike description made it sound really intense, but it was no big deal. There were a few things that were really cool about this hike. I saw this big guy moseying down the trail. He was furry and almost as big as my hand. It was my first summit. How ridiculous is that? All the hiking I've done, and I've never actually gotten to a summit and signed the register. It felt pretty nice, especially doing it alone. Kind of empowering. (The box at the summit) Next on my

I'm still trying to think of a name for what I do. Ding dong ditching sounds silly, but I don't know what to call it. I found a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that only requires three ingredients: a can of pumpkin, a box of spice cake mix, and a bag of chocolate chips. You just mix them together and bake for 20 minutes at 350. SO easy. I have 5 people on my delivery list this month who are having surgery or difficult times. Denise and I will be making our deliveries after work tomorrow. This is so fun!

Kristin and I went on a "backcountry adventure" yesterday. I put that in quotes because we were near Sedona, so it was pretty crowded. We started off visiting two of the energy vortexes. I wasn't impressed with the Airport Rd one, but I did feel something at the Boynton Canyon one. We meditated to absorb the full effects. Our next stop was lunch at a really fantastic deli, followed by a 4WD trail that we were not too impressed with. The road was actually crowded with hikers, and it was really rocky, so we had to drive super slow. We got bored and decided to take another 4WD trail to Jerome, where Kristin did some "monkey wrenching." The trail had some beautiful views, and we saw a sign that said we were near Tuzigoot National Monument. I could get a stamp for my book! By the time we got there, there was only a half hour till close. We saw a sign that said there was a 1/3 mile loop. We walked out the door of the visitor's center and fol

Kristin told me that her cousin made a list of shame for his girlfriend that consisted of movies she hadn't seen. It was suggested that I should have a list of shame as well that would include more than movies. Here is what we have so far (although I probably shouldn't be admitting these things in public): 1. I haven't seen the following movies: Top Gun The Matrix Pulp Fiction 2. I've never made a grilled cheese sandwich (even though I eat them all the time) 3. I didn't know that Jimmy Hendrix was black

Friday we did Sandslide Canyon. Neither of us had heard of it before. We chose it because it only had one rappel at the end, and we needed something we could do with George. Also, it was rated a PG slot, which means "Pretty Good"- you're going to need some stemming skills to get through the canyon. I love the wide washes around Escalante... Sandslide was funny because we did it in such a convoluted way. First, Bernie walked up from the bottom of the canyon as far as he could until he got to the rappel. Meanwhile, I slowly climbed the enormous sand dune that gave Sandslide its name. It was brutal. I was just a little envious when Bernie and George ran up it like it was nothing. Next, we hiked along the canyon, looking for a good place to drop in. The walls were pretty shallow for most of it, so we dropped in halfway up it, in between the two slots.  Since Bernie could hold George while stemming, we had to take turns exploring up and down canyon. George did NOT like

I spent most of Tuesday waiting for Bernie to show up. He tried to take a shortcut through the Kaiparowits Plateau, but the roads were impassable, so he had to turn around. Lack of cell phone reception made communication difficult, so I spent most of the day sitting on Hole in the Rock Rd, reading a book. At least the scenery was interesting. Bernie finally found me, and we decided to do Red Breaks the next day. It's a nontechnical canyon, but you go up from the bottom and there are tons of chokestones to climb over. We worked hard! And it was funny how much faster we were going back down the canyon... It's so much easier when gravity is on your side! Video of my awkward downclimbing: George is the perfect color/shape for slot canyons. I can't believe how well this dog handles himself on slickrock! We had such a nice time in the canyon. Afterwards, we had dinner at the Outfitters. It was pretty much the perfect day.  But rain was on the way...

Bernie and I were supposed to meet up, but due to a miscommunication, I drove right by him and somehow missed him. I drove up Cottonwood Canyon Road, past the Cockscomb, past Grosvenor Arch, and emerged on Hwy 12, which took me into Escalante. I hung a right on Hole in the Rock Road, a 50 mile unpaved road that leads to Lake Powell, and felt at home. This road looks fairly unspectacular (at least compared to other scenic roads in Utah), but those in the know are aware of the hundreds of canyons hidden in the nondescript hills. I drove down the bumpy road towards Harris Wash and picked a place just off the road to camp. Normally, I am too nervous to do dispersed camping alone. But Escalante is different. It feels safe and familiar. There are no bears to worry about, and I have faith in the people who frequent this place. I slept peacefully, awakening occasionally to glimpse the star covered sky. There was no moon, but you'd never know it because the stars were plentiful enough to li

I used to be so scared of making wreaths. It looked so intimidating! But then Nancy and I made Christmas wreaths last year, and it was so easy! I decided I need to make a wreath for every season. Amanda and I made these Halloween wreaths I found on Pinterest. It was really simple and relatively cheap. The most expensive materials were the wreath form and the spray paint; everything else came from the dollar store. We started by covering the wreaths in black ribbon. Then, we cut black tee shirts into strips and tied them all around the wreath. We spray painted spiders and webs from the dollar store and attached them to the back of the wreath with twine, then added a purple now for flair. SO easy, and I'm happy with the finished product.

The Phoenix New Times just came out with their 2013 "Best Of" list. I already have my own list of places to try, and I visited one of them today. Rocket Burger made a good sub, and their French fries were delicious. But the main attraction is the entire wall of hundreds of different kinds of soda. I was super excited to see Ale 8, a ginger ale that is found almost exclusively in Kentucky. Now I just need some good bourbon to go with it... Perhaps I'll splurge on some Four Roses. I got Brian this Rat Bastard root beer, and some cream soda for Denise. I also got myself some black cherry soda and this orange soda. What a fun, unique spot hidden in a strip mall (like so many places in Phoenix). Next stop: a date at Ohso, a nanobrewery that is said to have the best grilled cheese in Phoenix.