The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

I don't think today could have been any more perfect.  It began with a 6 mile hike to the West Fork of the Black River. Easy and scenic.  Crazy fungus out here! Parts of the trail were filled with running water. Hell yeah, rain boots!  Then I stopped at Bear Wallow Cafe in Alpine. I'd heard about their famous pie and just about died of happiness when I saw that strawberry rhubarb was on the menu. Finally!!!! I've been craving this pie for months!  It was some of the best I've ever had. And that's saying a lot, considering I used to live right by Bang Bang Pie Shop.  I found a campsite in Hannagan Meadow and hung out in my car, waiting for the rain to stop. I watched a Channing Tatum movie and painted my nails.  I am in love with this nail polish from Ipsy! The rain finally let up, and I decided to do a little exploring a maybe find a nice place to watch the sunset. I  stumbled across the Reno lookout tower, where a kind ranger invited me up for a cup of tea. We watc

I got here early in the day and was pretty excited about this pimp campsite. Last night, I stayed up on the Rim, and as soon as I got out of my car some guy from a campsite near mine approached me and offered to help set up my tent. His biceps were bulging almost to the point of ridiculousness, and he was wearing camo pants and a gun. Honestly, he was kind of cute, but the attire creeped me out.  Tonight I wanted solitude, and oh boy did I get it. Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing. I mean, really. I am not outdoorsy. I have an anxiety disorder. So tonight is just a typical night of dispersed camping for me.  First, I worry about wildlife. Oh shit, didn't they just reintroduce wolves in this area?? The following conversation takes place with Nancy: So then I feel better about the wolves. But then I start thinking, what if some creeper saw me dancing around topless in the meadow while singing "Let It Go?" Lock the doors. Remind myself I've only seen two cars drive b

There's this magic spot in Arizona less than two hours from Phoenix called West Clear Creek. Jason has been busy and stressed, and I told him to pick any spot and we would go there. I told him "anywhere your heart desires." I told him to dream big and was envisioning all types of exotic places. He texted me the day before we left and said he'd decided on West Clear Creek.  Now, I love WCC because it's up on the Rim (so, cooler temps), and the scenery is gorgeous and there are some fun canyons up there. But we could go there any time! I just thought it was a funny choice.  We left Monday morning and just spent the day relaxing. Feeling just a little bit more motivated on Tuesday, we set out for Sundance Canyon. I've never done the whole thing, but according to Jason, most of it is just annoying obstacles, and the best part is the 180 foot rappel at the end. He's found a route that drops in right before the big rappel, so that was our mission. We took a wron

I came back to Phoenix and had nothing to do for a few days, and it was 106 degrees, so I watched a lot off movies.  Magic Mike: This movie was terrible and wonderful all at once. Terrible because I still got confused sometimes despite the plot being very simple: going to a stripper convention. And wonderful because... Channing Tatum. I had no idea. Now I definitely need to see the first one. His wife is a very lucky woman.  The Lucky One: I feel a feminist rant coming on here... Nicholas Sparks writes romance novels, okay? That's exactly what they are, but no one actually calls them that because men don't write "romance novels." There's a stigma attached to that genre. But women love romance, so somehow this guy's books keep turning into movies, despite the fact that they are filled with bad romance novel cliches. I mean, his plots are totally unoriginal! I know some fantastic female authors whose books would make awesome movies. But these talented women are

I bake pretty much every weekend, so I really miss it when I'm traveling. Coming home was the perfect excuse to bake a dessert and invite people over!  I made this Kentucky Butter bundt cake and served it with strawberries and whip cream.  Here is the recipe, and also where I got the picture:  http://cookiesandcups.com/kentucky-butter-cake/ Sadly, I didn't get any pics of my cake, which I think was actually cuter than this one because my cake pan has hearts. :) This cake was so so simple to make. The only advice I would have is to make sure you poke lots of holes in it and take the author's advice and let it sit overnight to absorb the butter/sugar glaze you pour on it. I didn't have time for this; I had originally planned on making strawberry rhubarb pie, but I couldn't find fresh rhubarb anywhere. But it still tasted pretty good, almost like a strawberry shortcake.  11 people came over to eat cake with me! It was great. Sadly, this is the only picture I have from

After my backpacking adventure, I headed south to Lassen Volcanic National Park and found a sweet free campsite just outside the park. I thought to myself, "Oh my word, it feels so good to be back in my own bed!" There is a reason my friends call my car The W. :) I woke up at 3:30 to the sound of coyotes howling. So eerie and awesome. Perfect for my last night of camping.  I  didn't spend too long at Lassen... I've been there before, and the hike I wanted to do was way on the other side of the park. Plus I was anxious to get to my Aunt Deborah's house in Sacramento.  Here are the things I love about Aunt Deborah. She is wise, and straight-forward (you never have to guess where you stand with her), and has a strong faith, and gives good advice, and makes cinnamon rolls in the waffle iron. She also has a really funny husband named David, who says "bitchin'" a lot. We stayed up late talking, and I kept thinking, "I love you, you're the best, I&

I  was at Paula's house in Portland when my friend Dan invited me to go backpacking with him and a few friends that weekend. I immediately declined. Dan asked why, and I mentioned that I had been cold the other time I went backpacking. He pointed out that that would not be a problem during this heat wave and did his best to convince me to join them. I couldn't argue without sounding completely crazy, so I reluctantly said yes. But I was freaking out. What if it's too hot? What if it's too cold? What if I can't sleep? What if there are mosquitos? What if a bear comes up to my tent during the night? What if the hike is too hard and everyone is mad at me because I'm slow? What if I hate it and want to go home early?  What kind of alcohol should I bring? I don't really care about drinking, but I don't want to be the goody two shoes with no liquor, but beer adds too much weight to my pack, and bourbon makes me talk too much, and those are really my only optio

Last night there was a crying baby at the campsite next to mine. There was also a bird that sounded like a screaming woman. A large, ugly woman.  I haven't showered in a week (unless washing my hair in the river counts). Tonight I stupidly left the coast for the east side of the Peninsula. It is so stinkin' hot and humid, and the mosquitos are everywhere. I've been trapped in my car all night.  I am out of money. I'm sad that vagabonding is over, but this heat wave in the Northwest totally sucks and I thnk I'm ready to go home.

I think the Olympic Peninsula ties with southern Utah for my favorite place in the world.  Sorry, Disney World, you've been bumped to #2.  My favorite hiking here is the wilderness beaches. Is it weird that I prefer the beach when it's cold and cloudy? (The only acceptable form of graffiti) (I forgot to pay attention to the tide tables one day and almost ran out of beach to hike on.) Sunday morning hike on Rialto beach, near La Push. Four miles, zero feet of elevation gain. My kind of hike.  I love these beaches because they are not crowded. And I love falling asleep to the sound of the waves at night. This is the most peaceful camping and hiking I have ever done.  Several miles away from the beach, I crossed the treaty line and entered the rainforest. I hiked a seldom used trail into the Hoh rainforest, and it was absolutely miserable. It was 90 degrees and humid and the bugs were all flying at my face. It was like hiking through the jungle, which made me think of Predator, wh