Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Our fourth of July hike
On the Fourth of July we hiked on the East Fork Trail in the Jemez Mountains. The hike has two easy miles through a pine forest, and then you go down a steep hill that leads to the East Fork River. We went about four and a half miles.
Calvin hiked for a little while too. It was a challenge to get him to keep walking forward. He wanted to look at and touch the trees, and walk off into the woods, and he wanted us to sing Fi-Fi-Fo-Fum ad nauseam. But he was having a good time.
Then we hiked with him in the backpack until we got to the river. He wanted to swim, so we took his clothes off and waded into the water. But it was too cold and he wouldn't even let his feet get wet, so we both ended up standing knee deep, holding a naked toddler.
Across the river there were a lot of people walking by in swim suits. I guess they must have parked in a different place, where they could get there faster. But they said that just down the river there was a huge waterfall where people were going cliff diving. So after we had our snacks and put Calvin's clothes back on we crossed the river.
We came to a spot where we would have to wade through the water, and it was pretty rocky. It looked like the only way to do it was to get wet.... so we stopped there and sat down on the bank where we threw rocks into the water. Calvin loved doing that, and probably could have stayed there all night, throwing rocks until the bank receded permanently.
Meanwhile people were coming back from the cliffs. One guy hurt his ankle and his friends had to hold him up while he hopped through the river. I guess nobody told him how shallow the water was.
Quinn wanted to check the cliff out and I decided to stay where I was, plopping the rocks into the water (I can't get them to skip). He came back soon and said it looked cool, but he couldn't get to the cliff because you just have to walk through the river. We would have to come back with flip flips.
Calvin hiked for a little while too. It was a challenge to get him to keep walking forward. He wanted to look at and touch the trees, and walk off into the woods, and he wanted us to sing Fi-Fi-Fo-Fum ad nauseam. But he was having a good time.
Then we hiked with him in the backpack until we got to the river. He wanted to swim, so we took his clothes off and waded into the water. But it was too cold and he wouldn't even let his feet get wet, so we both ended up standing knee deep, holding a naked toddler.
Across the river there were a lot of people walking by in swim suits. I guess they must have parked in a different place, where they could get there faster. But they said that just down the river there was a huge waterfall where people were going cliff diving. So after we had our snacks and put Calvin's clothes back on we crossed the river.
We came to a spot where we would have to wade through the water, and it was pretty rocky. It looked like the only way to do it was to get wet.... so we stopped there and sat down on the bank where we threw rocks into the water. Calvin loved doing that, and probably could have stayed there all night, throwing rocks until the bank receded permanently.
Meanwhile people were coming back from the cliffs. One guy hurt his ankle and his friends had to hold him up while he hopped through the river. I guess nobody told him how shallow the water was.
Quinn wanted to check the cliff out and I decided to stay where I was, plopping the rocks into the water (I can't get them to skip). He came back soon and said it looked cool, but he couldn't get to the cliff because you just have to walk through the river. We would have to come back with flip flips.
Getting him to hike by following his lead
All spring I've been worried that I won't be able to keep up this hiking blog, simply because Calvin won't hike. It just seems that lately, whenever I take him anywhere, he wants to be carried by me. I can't even get him to walk by my side into the grocery store. So the idea of taking him on a four mile trek through the woods sounds pretty tiring.
It could be that he's nervous about going into busy places, and that's what makes him cling to my legs like an octopus. Or it could be that he senses that I don't particularly want to lug him around because I'm pregnant, and so he insists on it. And now my back is always sore.
I've recently gone out of my way to get him to enjoy hiking, simply by making the "hikes" a little less destination-focused. Last week after dinner I drove down to that canyon trail by the roundabout in Los Alamos. It was just the two of us.
When I pulled him out of the car he wouldn't let me put him down - he wanted me to carry him. So I sat down in the landscaping rocks that line the sidewalk and acted like I brought him there to look at rocks. We did that for a few minutes. Then he just started to run down the trail.
I followed him, just to see what he was interested in. Rather than go down the marked trail he went up the flight of concrete stairs that leads to the road. I was nervous. I mean, what if he jumped over the guard rail really fast, or someone went off the road just then?
I tried to stay calm and let him lead the way, because grabbing him and dragging him kicking and screaming to the car would completely defeat the purpose of us being there (trying to help Calvin hike - and not be just another piece of luggage).
He ran up the steep sidewalk, and stopped every few feet to run his fingers through a pile of dirt, or look at a column of ants, or pick up a rusty bottle cap. I'd say we walked 1/4 mile, and then I had to carry him back most of the way and we played with the rocks until it started to get dark.
If he's going to hike it will have to be slower, with more time to look at stuff. Then, if we want to just cover some miles we'll have to put him in the backpack (a long as it's on Quinn's back and not mine).
It could be that he's nervous about going into busy places, and that's what makes him cling to my legs like an octopus. Or it could be that he senses that I don't particularly want to lug him around because I'm pregnant, and so he insists on it. And now my back is always sore.
I've recently gone out of my way to get him to enjoy hiking, simply by making the "hikes" a little less destination-focused. Last week after dinner I drove down to that canyon trail by the roundabout in Los Alamos. It was just the two of us.
When I pulled him out of the car he wouldn't let me put him down - he wanted me to carry him. So I sat down in the landscaping rocks that line the sidewalk and acted like I brought him there to look at rocks. We did that for a few minutes. Then he just started to run down the trail.
I followed him, just to see what he was interested in. Rather than go down the marked trail he went up the flight of concrete stairs that leads to the road. I was nervous. I mean, what if he jumped over the guard rail really fast, or someone went off the road just then?
I tried to stay calm and let him lead the way, because grabbing him and dragging him kicking and screaming to the car would completely defeat the purpose of us being there (trying to help Calvin hike - and not be just another piece of luggage).
He ran up the steep sidewalk, and stopped every few feet to run his fingers through a pile of dirt, or look at a column of ants, or pick up a rusty bottle cap. I'd say we walked 1/4 mile, and then I had to carry him back most of the way and we played with the rocks until it started to get dark.
If he's going to hike it will have to be slower, with more time to look at stuff. Then, if we want to just cover some miles we'll have to put him in the backpack (a long as it's on Quinn's back and not mine).
Monday, June 28, 2010
A local doctor gave me some great tips for a healthy pregnancy!
A couple of weeks ago I met Bobby Hall, a doctor of Herbal Medicine, and agreed to try a health screening in her office.
I've never done a health screening, so I was curious, and her coupon said that such a screening could prevent diseases by detecting the underlying causes.... That can be pretty alluring to someone who lost two parents to cancer (I suppose the underlying cause of Dad's cancer wasn't much of a mystery - he just smoked a lot).
When I got there, the first thing I told her was that I was pregnant. I wasn't sure what she was going to do, so it seemed like a good idea. She called the company that made the little machine that she was going to use to make sure it was safe. They said it was. Then she tailored her screening to fit my needs.
The idea behind the screening is this: In your body every different kind of cell, every organ, and every vitamin has it's own electromagnetic frequency. These frequencies make it possible for your brain to control all the different parts of your body. So she has a machine, connected to a program on her computer, that sends frequencies through my body that corresponds to each system. If the frequencies are out of whack somehow, she can find your problem areas.
And boy, is it specific! She went through each system, like my cardiovascular system, my immune system, my digestive system to see if things were normal. Then under diet she was able to tell me that I really shouldn't be having a lot of dairy, because it weakens me. (I love milk, and have always been under the impression that it does a body good, so this news hit me hard. It was like she told me that Santa Claus doesn't exist.)
She was able to see exactly what vitamins that I was deficient in, and gave me a vitamin mix that has, as far as I can tell, everything I could possibly need. She even called the vitamin company to find out how much I needed to take to make sure I was getting enough folic acid for the baby.
She did my emotions and found them to be a little high, which she brushed off because I'm pregnant. But I was curious about it. Part of what she does is give emotional consultations, and using this machine she can test to see what ultra-specific emotion you are having. There was a scroll down list of about fifty emotions like bitterness, boredom, jealously, fear, satisfaction. Each emotion, apparently, has it's own frequency. It's like getting your palm read by a computer. I wished she would have gone through my emotions so I could see if it was accurate, but maybe next time.
Then she screened my musculoskeletal system and it went a little haywire. It was no surprise... the first time I heard of Dr. Hall was through her office mate, Kim Lazarus, my chiropractor. I'm one of these people who just get out of alignment all the time. And now that I'm pregnant my hips and my lower abdomen/groin areas are bugging me.
Dr. Hall said "I've got just the thing" and she gave me some drops called Preg Back Tone and Preg Groin Tone. They're supposed to safely relieve pain and make the ligaments a little stronger. I hope they work.
But what made me really happy about the visit was the herbs that she recommended for a healthy pregnancy. The first was Red Raspberry, which is supposed to strengthen your uterus and entire body for a easy childbirth. She gave me a tea recipe that calls for equal parts red raspberry, oat straw, alfalfa and peppermint.
Then there's a herbal supplement that you can take called 5W. It's a combination of a few herbs that you take five weeks before your due date. It makes your body and uterus strong and also makes your tissues nice and elastic so that you have a really easy childbirth. I definitely want to try it.
Dr. Hall's phone number is 662-2222.
I've never done a health screening, so I was curious, and her coupon said that such a screening could prevent diseases by detecting the underlying causes.... That can be pretty alluring to someone who lost two parents to cancer (I suppose the underlying cause of Dad's cancer wasn't much of a mystery - he just smoked a lot).
When I got there, the first thing I told her was that I was pregnant. I wasn't sure what she was going to do, so it seemed like a good idea. She called the company that made the little machine that she was going to use to make sure it was safe. They said it was. Then she tailored her screening to fit my needs.
The idea behind the screening is this: In your body every different kind of cell, every organ, and every vitamin has it's own electromagnetic frequency. These frequencies make it possible for your brain to control all the different parts of your body. So she has a machine, connected to a program on her computer, that sends frequencies through my body that corresponds to each system. If the frequencies are out of whack somehow, she can find your problem areas.
And boy, is it specific! She went through each system, like my cardiovascular system, my immune system, my digestive system to see if things were normal. Then under diet she was able to tell me that I really shouldn't be having a lot of dairy, because it weakens me. (I love milk, and have always been under the impression that it does a body good, so this news hit me hard. It was like she told me that Santa Claus doesn't exist.)
She was able to see exactly what vitamins that I was deficient in, and gave me a vitamin mix that has, as far as I can tell, everything I could possibly need. She even called the vitamin company to find out how much I needed to take to make sure I was getting enough folic acid for the baby.
She did my emotions and found them to be a little high, which she brushed off because I'm pregnant. But I was curious about it. Part of what she does is give emotional consultations, and using this machine she can test to see what ultra-specific emotion you are having. There was a scroll down list of about fifty emotions like bitterness, boredom, jealously, fear, satisfaction. Each emotion, apparently, has it's own frequency. It's like getting your palm read by a computer. I wished she would have gone through my emotions so I could see if it was accurate, but maybe next time.
Then she screened my musculoskeletal system and it went a little haywire. It was no surprise... the first time I heard of Dr. Hall was through her office mate, Kim Lazarus, my chiropractor. I'm one of these people who just get out of alignment all the time. And now that I'm pregnant my hips and my lower abdomen/groin areas are bugging me.
Dr. Hall said "I've got just the thing" and she gave me some drops called Preg Back Tone and Preg Groin Tone. They're supposed to safely relieve pain and make the ligaments a little stronger. I hope they work.
But what made me really happy about the visit was the herbs that she recommended for a healthy pregnancy. The first was Red Raspberry, which is supposed to strengthen your uterus and entire body for a easy childbirth. She gave me a tea recipe that calls for equal parts red raspberry, oat straw, alfalfa and peppermint.
Then there's a herbal supplement that you can take called 5W. It's a combination of a few herbs that you take five weeks before your due date. It makes your body and uterus strong and also makes your tissues nice and elastic so that you have a really easy childbirth. I definitely want to try it.
Dr. Hall's phone number is 662-2222.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
How to get your willful toddler to drink more water on hikes
When we were hiking on the Kaibab Trail, in the Grand Canyon, it was dry and I couldn't get Calvin to drink any water. He sealed his lips tight whenever I brought the water bottle to him.
Eventually I found a solution that's a little odd, but works. I filled my mouth with water and sprayed it in his face and hair. After the initial thrill of getting sprayed, he wanted revenge and was reaching out for the water. I gave it to him and he took a big swig, and sprayed some of it at me. Then he took another drink, and just swallowed it. I don't think he realized how thirsty he was until he got wet.
Eventually I found a solution that's a little odd, but works. I filled my mouth with water and sprayed it in his face and hair. After the initial thrill of getting sprayed, he wanted revenge and was reaching out for the water. I gave it to him and he took a big swig, and sprayed some of it at me. Then he took another drink, and just swallowed it. I don't think he realized how thirsty he was until he got wet.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
South Kaibab Trail into the Grand Canyon
Quinn, Calvin, and I drove up to the Grand Canyon from Flagstaff on Saturday morning.
Calvin wanted to go up the stairs in the lookout tower so I followed him up. There was a big gift shop in the first floor with travel books and t-shirts and hats. I was impressed with the tower. I was made of stone and the walls were covered with old Indian paintings and legends.
I was going up the stairs in the middle of the group of twenty Germans wearing Harley Davidson jackets. Calvin was getting tired and he and Quinn started fighting with each other when Quinn tried to carry him up the stairs. Calvin wanted to run around, and Quinn was still worried about him plunging down the stairs or over the railing so the trip into the tower ended in tears. But luckily Calvin was ready for a nap, and as soon as the car was moving he conked out.
I just finished working my way through a travel writing course, the idea of writing a travel article was close to the front of my mind.
I was nervous. Everything was different than I thought it would be, and I had no idea how I could possibly take a picture that no one else had taken or say something original about this place that everyone in the world comes to see. I mean, everybody had their cameras out, and were taking pictures from every angle possible on the lookouts. I just looked at the Canyon and thought, "Whoa, it's big."
It was also a lot more interesting than I expected it to be. The surface at the bottom was more varied and the walls deeper than I thought they would be from pictures. I was fascinated by the repeating zig zag of the layered walls and the mind boggling distances.
When Calvin woke up from his nap we decided to take a short hike down South Kaibab Trail. Man, I've never been on a hike with such strong warnings on the trailhead. These hikes were all labelled "difficult"and they warned that "Everything that goes down must come up" and that people shouldn't try to go all the way to to the river in one day, unless they want to die. Then they showed a newspaper clipping about a marathon runner who thought that it was 17 miles to the river (when it was really 27) and she tried to go all the way there and died of dehydration. I think the reason people die and have to get rescued so often is that it's so easy and fun going down. And it's beautiful and inspiring so people just go traipsing down down down without a care in the world. Then when they turn back, and ran out of water, it's really steep and hot.
But we weren't gong to go that far. We had Calvin in a backpack and Calvin and I had been promised ice cream and we intended to collect. So we started down the switchbacks at the beginning of the trail - they reminded me of an open air version of the beginning of the Carlsbad Caverns hike.
This was probably the most spectacular hike I've ever been on.... which begs the question - where are the pictures? As soon as I got onto the trail I was ready to start taking pictures, but my camera wasn't around my neck or in my bag. Nuts, I thought, I left it in the car, just when I could be taking some really terrific pictures.
The more we walked the more annoyed I was at leaving my camera. I asked myself a question that I've asked many times in the past.... Could I be any more absentminded? Unfortunately, a few minutes later I realized that the answer to that question is yes. I didn't just leave it in the car, I left it on the car. I put it on the roof of the car while loading Calvin into the backpack and it was sitting there on display for anyone to steal.
And who wouldn't want to steal a camera in that situation? It would literally take a saint to find a nice camera at the Grand Canyon, and want to stop sightseeing to go find a lost and found. I had to sit down and put my head between my legs for a minute. GAh!
Then I tried to just pretend that I never had a camera to begin with. You know, just take in the landscape and forget about writing stories or trying to sell stock photos or making my blog look cool. Just forget about all that and absorb the beauty directly into my soul. Very Zen. It sort of worked.
We hiked all the way down to the first day camp rest point. There was a little building on a platform that jutted out into the canyon. We both hoped that it was a snack stand, but it was a two-story outhouse. I wonder how they empty the tanks.
Finally Calvin got to get out of the backpack and run around. It's funny how little kids can be in the middle of a huge canyon and be completely obsessed with the little slope of dirt by the outhouse. In a few minutes he was covered in red sand and acting like his barbarian self, trying to pick up and throw big rocks.
I think we walked the right distance. It was a good workout going back up, but nothing that we couldn't do. If you ever go to the Grand Canyon, go on a hike. You get the best view.
From Flagstaff there are two roads up to the Grand Canyon. We went up the counter-clockwise way to the south rim. On the way we passed a reservation and people in the tribe has wooden stalls set up where they were selling rocks and art. We didn't stop, because we were hungry and wondered why on earth they didn't also sell sandwiches and cold drinks?
Instead we ate lunch at the cafeteria by the historic lookout. Quinn was tense - he didn't know what what Calvin would do when we got to the edge. Already, at the petrified forest, Calvin ran off towards the cliff. And since Calvin always wants to "show strong" whenever he sees a fence, he didn't want to put him down, even though the the fence was reinforced with a chain-link fence.
Calvin wanted to go up the stairs in the lookout tower so I followed him up. There was a big gift shop in the first floor with travel books and t-shirts and hats. I was impressed with the tower. I was made of stone and the walls were covered with old Indian paintings and legends.
I was going up the stairs in the middle of the group of twenty Germans wearing Harley Davidson jackets. Calvin was getting tired and he and Quinn started fighting with each other when Quinn tried to carry him up the stairs. Calvin wanted to run around, and Quinn was still worried about him plunging down the stairs or over the railing so the trip into the tower ended in tears. But luckily Calvin was ready for a nap, and as soon as the car was moving he conked out.
I just finished working my way through a travel writing course, the idea of writing a travel article was close to the front of my mind.
I was nervous. Everything was different than I thought it would be, and I had no idea how I could possibly take a picture that no one else had taken or say something original about this place that everyone in the world comes to see. I mean, everybody had their cameras out, and were taking pictures from every angle possible on the lookouts. I just looked at the Canyon and thought, "Whoa, it's big."
It was also a lot more interesting than I expected it to be. The surface at the bottom was more varied and the walls deeper than I thought they would be from pictures. I was fascinated by the repeating zig zag of the layered walls and the mind boggling distances.
When Calvin woke up from his nap we decided to take a short hike down South Kaibab Trail. Man, I've never been on a hike with such strong warnings on the trailhead. These hikes were all labelled "difficult"and they warned that "Everything that goes down must come up" and that people shouldn't try to go all the way to to the river in one day, unless they want to die. Then they showed a newspaper clipping about a marathon runner who thought that it was 17 miles to the river (when it was really 27) and she tried to go all the way there and died of dehydration. I think the reason people die and have to get rescued so often is that it's so easy and fun going down. And it's beautiful and inspiring so people just go traipsing down down down without a care in the world. Then when they turn back, and ran out of water, it's really steep and hot.
But we weren't gong to go that far. We had Calvin in a backpack and Calvin and I had been promised ice cream and we intended to collect. So we started down the switchbacks at the beginning of the trail - they reminded me of an open air version of the beginning of the Carlsbad Caverns hike.
This was probably the most spectacular hike I've ever been on.... which begs the question - where are the pictures? As soon as I got onto the trail I was ready to start taking pictures, but my camera wasn't around my neck or in my bag. Nuts, I thought, I left it in the car, just when I could be taking some really terrific pictures.
The more we walked the more annoyed I was at leaving my camera. I asked myself a question that I've asked many times in the past.... Could I be any more absentminded? Unfortunately, a few minutes later I realized that the answer to that question is yes. I didn't just leave it in the car, I left it on the car. I put it on the roof of the car while loading Calvin into the backpack and it was sitting there on display for anyone to steal.
And who wouldn't want to steal a camera in that situation? It would literally take a saint to find a nice camera at the Grand Canyon, and want to stop sightseeing to go find a lost and found. I had to sit down and put my head between my legs for a minute. GAh!
Then I tried to just pretend that I never had a camera to begin with. You know, just take in the landscape and forget about writing stories or trying to sell stock photos or making my blog look cool. Just forget about all that and absorb the beauty directly into my soul. Very Zen. It sort of worked.
We hiked all the way down to the first day camp rest point. There was a little building on a platform that jutted out into the canyon. We both hoped that it was a snack stand, but it was a two-story outhouse. I wonder how they empty the tanks.
Finally Calvin got to get out of the backpack and run around. It's funny how little kids can be in the middle of a huge canyon and be completely obsessed with the little slope of dirt by the outhouse. In a few minutes he was covered in red sand and acting like his barbarian self, trying to pick up and throw big rocks.
I think we walked the right distance. It was a good workout going back up, but nothing that we couldn't do. If you ever go to the Grand Canyon, go on a hike. You get the best view.
Monday, May 10, 2010
The petrified forest
On Friday Morning we visited the Petrified Forest National Park, off of highway 40 in Arizona. April or early May is the perfect time to go to Arizona (I say, like an expert, having gone to the state once in my entire life) because it's not too hot.
Although it seems hard to believe looking at it now, millions of years ago the area that is now Arizona was a thick forest with all kinds of dinosaurs and 30 foot long crocodile-like creatures. Then a storm and flood hit, and the trees were swept down a river and trapped under the silty mud, which was then layered with mineral rich volcanic ash.
Over time the minerals seeped into the wood, and cell by cell the organic matter in the wood was replaced by rock, and the rocks were dyed the color of the wood.
Whatever you think of George W. Bush, he did increase the size of the Petrified Forest (and the protection that comes with it) by about 20%.
We started at the east entrance, where they have a video that explains the formation and history of the forest. While at the visitor's center we picked up a 5' x 3' map of the forest that you can color, which was the perfect activity for Calvin to do while we ate our Navajo tacos after we finished checking out the park. The visitor's center also has a restaurant.
You drive in and stop at view points along the way. At the first view point Calvin jumped over the divider and ran toward the cliff, which made me rethink my views against putting leashes on children.
We hiked the Blue Mesa Trail, and I would recommend it for families. It's only a one mile loop and you get to see a lot of the petrified wood laying on the side, so you can get a good look. It's closer to the western part of the park, by the crystal forest and the rainbow forest.
The Rainbow Forest is a highlight, because there are a lot of big rusty logs. Calvin climbed onto one of them and said "It's a dragon! I'm flying!"
At the rainbow forest there is a museum, which has fossilized skeletons of some of the prehistoric creatures that lived in the area. Kids can get a junior ranger activity pack. When they complete the activities (according to age) they get sworn in as a junior ranger.
We didn't realize how much ground the park covered. We drove from the entrance all the way to rainbow forest and realized that we would have to go back 57 miles to get to the entrance. So we continued onto west 40 towards Flagstaff where we spent the night.
Although it seems hard to believe looking at it now, millions of years ago the area that is now Arizona was a thick forest with all kinds of dinosaurs and 30 foot long crocodile-like creatures. Then a storm and flood hit, and the trees were swept down a river and trapped under the silty mud, which was then layered with mineral rich volcanic ash.
Over time the minerals seeped into the wood, and cell by cell the organic matter in the wood was replaced by rock, and the rocks were dyed the color of the wood.
Whatever you think of George W. Bush, he did increase the size of the Petrified Forest (and the protection that comes with it) by about 20%.
We started at the east entrance, where they have a video that explains the formation and history of the forest. While at the visitor's center we picked up a 5' x 3' map of the forest that you can color, which was the perfect activity for Calvin to do while we ate our Navajo tacos after we finished checking out the park. The visitor's center also has a restaurant.
You drive in and stop at view points along the way. At the first view point Calvin jumped over the divider and ran toward the cliff, which made me rethink my views against putting leashes on children.
We hiked the Blue Mesa Trail, and I would recommend it for families. It's only a one mile loop and you get to see a lot of the petrified wood laying on the side, so you can get a good look. It's closer to the western part of the park, by the crystal forest and the rainbow forest.
The Rainbow Forest is a highlight, because there are a lot of big rusty logs. Calvin climbed onto one of them and said "It's a dragon! I'm flying!"
At the rainbow forest there is a museum, which has fossilized skeletons of some of the prehistoric creatures that lived in the area. Kids can get a junior ranger activity pack. When they complete the activities (according to age) they get sworn in as a junior ranger.
We didn't realize how much ground the park covered. We drove from the entrance all the way to rainbow forest and realized that we would have to go back 57 miles to get to the entrance. So we continued onto west 40 towards Flagstaff where we spent the night.
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