• About Kayla Faith

Les Pieds Fatigués

~ "If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them you will not know them and what you do not know, you will fear. What one fears, one destroys." – Chief Dan George

Les Pieds Fatigués

Tag Archives: solo

It Had Already Been Too Long.

04 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by Kayla Faith in Africa, Austria, Belgium, Cameroon, England, Europe, France, Germany, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland

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Africa, Alps, Amsterdam, Austria, Belgium, Brussels, Cameroon, Delft, Douala, Dover, Europe, ferry, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, road trip, ski, solo, solo travel, Switzerland, travel, Yaounde

I haven’t even updated my blog yet about my trip to Baltimore, but here I am sitting at the Washington Dulles International Airport awaiting a flight to Brussels.

Belgium.

New territory.

Remember Johannes from my trip to Andorra from France?  He’s back.  He will be picking me up at the airport, a short 2 hour drive from his home in Germany.  Not the crazy 10 hour drive to Arles like last time…

I’m going back overseas again to return to Cameroon.  But, naturally, I’m always looking for a way to wring out more travel for nearly the same buck.  This time, I found a way to tack on an extra week of vacation which will equate to an entire paycheck for me not working and flying on days that are so much cheaper than the weekends that it actually pays for part of my trip.  Yes, Tuesdays are the best days to travel.  And I’ve been putting in hours over the weekend to save even more paid time off.

Not only will I be returning to Cameroon in Africa and to France, England, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria (maybe more), but I will also be adding the following countries to my seen-it list: Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and the Netherlands.

Johannes and I plan to go on a road trip from Belgium, Luxembourg, and France until we reach the heart of the Swiss Alps where we will go skiing and take an alpine incline, or so we hope.  From there, we will loop back through Liechtenstein, Austria, and Germany, visiting new cities and also spending the night at Johannes’s house.  I’m interested to see his hometown.  (We tried to get a couch surfing host, but we planned a little too late – we’ll see where we end up.)  He will then take me to the airport and I will return to Douala.

In Cameroon, we will spend the first free day in Limbe seeing the wildlife.  Monday next week we will have a meeting in Douala, then head up to the village.  We will only work for about a week, then we will fly out of Yaounde – a new city for me, officially the farthest south I’ve ever been and the farthest east I’ve gone in Africa.

When I land in Belgium again, I will leave my teammates and hit the street yet again.  My student pass still works in Europe, so I’m going to head to Calais, France and take a ferry to see the white cliffs of Dover.  The best part is, I have a whole sack of sterling left over from the last trip – maybe enough to pay for my whole day.  After I’ve seen the cliffs and enough of Dover, I’ll return to France, pass back through Belgium, and finally get to see Amsterdam and the Delft.  There’s a construction project I’ve raving about for the last 2 or 3 years and I’m so glad to say I will finally visit it.

I’m such an engineering dork.

I’ve just been so happy with how willing my friends are to see me in Europe, like Johannes and potentially my friend Carl from home and Ryan whom I met in Benin.  (Carl is studying abroad and Ryan moved to Paris.)  I’m also very pleased by the response I got at work when I asked for boot donations.  I received a large box full of donated construction boots that I gave to one of the students to bring to Cameroon.  We will donate them to the village.  This has earned me a feature with the office in our newsletter.  Oh, and not to mention my wonderful friend Jeff made a shoe contribution, picked me up at the airport yesterday when I had to return a rental from another trip, gave me snacks for the airport, bought me cat food that I couldn’t get when the store closed, bought me dinner, bought me lunch, and handed me a monetary “donation” when I refused to accept fiscal assistance.  What a guy.  And my friend Jess is driving from the west side to periodically check on my cats.  Shout out to all y’all!

Now I just need to remember to keep taking my malaria pills and not get anything confiscated by a corrupt government official…because, yeah, that’s happened before.  D:

The Wayside Inn

14 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by Kayla Faith in North America, Virginia

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airport, Appalachia, Appalachian Mountains, Atlanta, Cary, Cleveland, colonial, culture, D.C., discover, discovery, District of Columnbia, driving, Durham, east coast, exploration, explore, flying, food, haunted, haunted inn, hockey, homemade, Massanutten Mountains, Middletown, North Carolina, NYC, Ohio, peanut, peanut butter, peanut soup, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, planes, Raleigh, recipe, restaurant, road trip, Shenadoah Valley, solo, soup, The Wayside Inn, things to try, traditional, travel, Virginia, Washington, Winchester

This weekend did not go how I had originally planned it.  I was supposed to be making a trip to Cary, North Carolina as I do often (I play for a North/South Carolina travel ice team).  I drove home in Pennsylvania Friday night and was ready to finish the drive the next morning.  Between the tornado/rain and my car apparently having an electric short, I ended up buying last minute tickets and flying instead.  I had to drive most of the way back north to the Pittsburgh airport but at least I had to pass Pittsburgh to return to Cleveland…

But before I ended up flying through Atlanta and NYC on a whim, I had intended to explore Virginia some more.  When I drive from Cleveland, I pass Wythesville and don’t see too much of the state.  When I drive from home, Maps takes me through D.C.  My mom prefers to drive through Winchester, however, and so, after debating whether or not to go whale-watching at Virginia Beach where I have family, I decided to take my mom’s route and revisit a favorite place: The Wayside Inn.  I’ve decided to write about it anyway:

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The Wayside Inn claims to be the longest continually operated inn in America (and perhaps haunted), having been completely in business since 1797.  It is located in Middletown, just southwest of Winchester in northern Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley/Frederick region.  At the foot of the sprawling Massanutten Mountains, the inn boasts a colonial feel with modernly accommodated bedrooms, antiques, a wedding venue, and Larrick’s Tavern – the adjoining restaurant.  Walking through the inn, you can see the outdated architecture, like a brick-floored kitchen separate from the main sections where the servants and slaves used to spend their time.

Pictures of Wayside Inn - Restaurant Photos

I first discovered this inn when my mom and I were coming back from Durham, North Carolina.  I was in the mood for some good peanut soup.  Searching “peanut soup near Winchester, Virginia” immediately threw The Wayside Inn on my map, so we took a break there to indulge in a large meal in the dimly-lit tavern.  I just LOVE colonial Virginia; you could really imagine what the place was like 200 years ago.

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And if you’ve never had peanut soup – or even heard of it, golly – trust me, it’s really good.  It’s like a mellow, creamy peanut butter that’s not so sticky.  So be sure to check out the Inn and the Tavern if you’re ever making a trek through the mountains outside of D.C.  In the meantime, perhaps try out this copycat recipe for your own peanut soup experience:

Peanut Soup – The Wayside Inn copycat recipe
Yield: 8 Servings

——————————-FOR THE STOCK——————————-
      6 tb Butter
      1 c  Chopped celery
      1 lg Onion; chopped
      8 c  Chicken broth
      1    Turkey drumstick
      1    Herb bouquet (parsley; thyme; bay leaf)
——————————–FOR THE SOUP——————————–
    1/3 c  Finely minced celery
      1 sm Onion; finely minced
      4 tb Butter
      2 tb Flour
      1 1/2 c  Chunky peanut butter
      1 c  Heavy cream
      2 tb Bourbon

For the stock, melt butter in a saucepan large enough to hold the broth. Add celery and onion, and cook slowly several minutes. Add broth, drumstick, and herb bouquet. Simmer partially covered 1 1/2 hours. Strain and refrigerate the stock, discarding solids. When chilled, remove fat from top.    For the soup: Bring stock to a simmer. In another large pot, melt butter and cook onion and celery 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Slowly add hot stock. Bring to a simmer and simmer 10 minutes. Add peanut butter, beating until dissolved. Simmer 10 minutes longer. Add cream and bourbon, and serve hot. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, chopped peanuts, or chopped country ham, if desired.

The recipe says it will serve 8-10 people. Only the stock may be frozen. The recipe can easily be doubled.
Recipe found in online archives.

Thinking Ahead: Thoughts for 2014 Adventures

29 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by Kayla Faith in Uncategorized

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2014, adventure, advice, Africa, Albuquerque, Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Europe, flights, France, Knoxville, Mexico, New Mexico, North Carolina, Panama, Peru, planning, plans, recommendations, road trip, Seattle, Smoky Mountains, solo, South America, suggestions, Tennessee, travel, United States

Wow, 2013 was a big year.  A really big year.  It included the end of my West Africa trip, the Bahamas, India, and living in Europe.  It also included some Canadian and American road trips.  I still have to add my Bahamas posts and finish my Cameroon/Benin posts (I’m getting Internet tomorrow!), but bear with me… Uploading photos can take me up to a whole DAY per post!  But if I’m not going to do it well, why bother at all?  Right?  Or so I keep telling myself…

2014 is only a few days away, and I’m already drooling over my next fantasy trips.  Money has been – and also isn’t – an issue at the time.  In other words, I’m not actually in a monetary bind considering how cheap it is to live in Cleveland and how little I spend (besides on travel!), but I’ve been paying my debts off at 5x the required rates and thus placing myself in a monetary bind.  I’m just trying to save thousands in the long run.  I don’t think it’s such a horrible plan, but it does stress me out a lot and causes me to skip meals when, quite frankly, I should just skip writing that unnecessary check.  But that doesn’t keep me from cutting corners so that I can plan a new adventure!

So where have I been thinking of going?  Well, about a year ago, a friend and I thought about planning for a Mardi Gras trip to New Orleans.  It might not even require PTO if I play my cards right.  I’ve always wanted to see New Orleans (I’ve been to Louisiana, just not to that city), and I think it would be fun to finally experience “American French” now that I’ve spoken it in so many other places!  But March is also the month I might be rescheduling a trip to Cameroon again in Africa.  I also want to do the Leadership Summit for AISES and, depending on how kindly our sponsors our, I might have some friends joining me.  This leaves the question of “Where do we fly in (and drive from!)?” and the high possibility that we will make that 4-hour drive to Mexico on a day off.

Thus March looks pretty full.  January is bleak as of now, apart from trips to Pennsylvania and New York for skiing and hockey which I do frequently (and just did last Friday at Holiday Valley).  But February – that holds another adventure to North Carolina likely, as well as a weekend trip to Knoxville.  I have already lined up some folks to fill my car and make that an adventure into the Smokies should the trip not fall through before then.  On the horizon was also a possibility that I might accompany a group going to Panama as well as watch flight prices and snag a trip to Seattle for Memorial Day Weekend.  I have friends there now and others who would accompany me to a couple days in Seattle and a couple days in Vancouver.  Friends are definitely great advantages to have in far-away cities.

Speaking of which, one friend just moved to Peru for half of a year and boy I’ll tell you I am so tempted to throw out my freshly earned vacation time and put down my hard-earned pocket money for a roundtrip flight there.  I have been dying to see Peru since I was fairly young, about the time I became obsessed with the Incas, alpacas, the Andes, and surrounding countries (like Ecuador with the Nazca lines).  Similarly, in maybe a year or two, there is talk of me joining some people on a backpacking trip through Brazil and Argentina.  Oh, saving vacation time is just such a struggle!

Working is a blessing in that it funds my travel, but it’s a curse because it also binds me to a schedule and to limited time off.  That’s why I take advantage of weekends as much as I can because, if you work hard enough during the week, you can usually exempt yourself from taking those PTO days and instead cram 40 hours in a 3 to 4 day period.  So while I continue to fantasize about all the places I may or may not see in 2014, I begin to wonder – Do any of you have any plans?

Furthermore, is there anything you would like me to write about?  I know loyal followers crave information and new posts, but if I’m short or inconsistent on content (due to my travel schedule), I want to provide the opportunity for me to still be useful!  I’m no expert on traveling matters or particular places, but I have seen quite a lot and wouldn’t mind recommendations 🙂

Biltmore, Asheville Holiday Parade, and No Reason to Leave – Except Hockey

23 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by Kayla Faith in North America, North Carolina

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Antler Village, Asheville, Asheville Brewing Company, Asheville Holiday Parade, bar, bar hopping, beer, Biltmore Estate, Biltmore House, downtown, Early Girl Eatery, Green Man Brewery, Jack of the Wood, meeting new people, North Carolina, parade, Pennsylvania, River Arts District, solo, strangers, tour, travel, Tupelo Honey Cafe, Wall Street, Wedge, Wedge Brewing, White Duck Taco Shop, wine, wine tasting, winery

I have a game at 8:30PM tonight in Cary – or else you can bet I’d still be here tasting, exploring, and even getting to hike through this great area!  Today’s goal was originally to hit less breweries and instead conquer some food and tourist places, but it of course ended up being…DO THEM ALL.

I woke up quite early and headed back into downtown Asheville.  The parking meters were outrageously high (in my opinion), especially when I parked and realized that my FourSquare resource was incorrect about when breakfast was opening where I wanted to go!  I sort of paused for a moment on the quiet streets – dead for even a Saturday morning – and walked around a bit to photograph a few things.  Finally, I hopped in the car and decided to drive early to the Biltmore Estate.  I bought outrageously priced tickets because I was told it’s worth it…and I made my way to the entrance over an hour before my tour time.

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I was told I could get in by maybe 8:30am, but I literally pulled up to the ticket booth as the properties opened.  I followed the cars on a long and windy road to a parking lot where I got out and took the first shuttle of the morning to the Estate.  It’s only a five to eight minute walk, but I decided to save the time and walk once I got there.  The driver reminded us that we had to wait for our tour time.  When we arrived to the front of the country’s largest privately owned mansion, I immediately got out, turned left, and started wandering through every Italian, Walled, Azalea, whatever — garden that I could find.  There was a gardener out blowing some kind of machine all around the entire time I wandered.  Finally, I was nearing my tour time.  I climbed the hillside overlooking the house and took a shot of the Venus statue before speed-walking back to the front of the mansion.

I entered along with a large swarm of people.  The line snaked forever through the building.  Most people had paid extra for an audio guide, but I saw no reason to.  I grabbed a free pamphlet, pocketed my phone (you can’t use phones or take photos inside), and began exploring the Christmas-decked rooms.  I started on the first floor and passed through several rooms demonstrating the height of vaulted ceilings, the antiquity of the clothing worn when the rooms were active, and the restoration processes used in refurbishing the details.  One dining room in particular had a tree that had to have been a good thirty feet high and decorated with actual boxes as present ornaments.  The whole time, I kept imagining that people were at my house for a party and that the little fake platters of food on silver dishes were actually the hors d’oeuvres being set out by my butlers and house keepers…

There was a photographer set out to take shots of people in front of one of the foyers – as if it really were a Disney attraction.  I ducked by and instead found myself lost in another Victorian room, amazed by how each room had at least a small – if not enormous – Christmas tree decorated completely in the theme of the room.  A lady’s chamber in baby blue and lace, a hunting prize room with pheasant feathers,… I passed through a corridor from an enormous, antique library with a rolling step-ladder and finally made it up to the second floor and found myself lost in the never-ending guest rooms.  Each room was as elaborate as the last and often accompanied by clothing set out to demonstrate the era.  I took every opportunity I could to look out the window at the fantastic mountains on the horizon – much like my view from my own home.

The next floor up was closed and I was instead directed towards the basement.  I thought, basement?  What could be down here?  I saw servant’s bedrooms and a cute, old-fashioned kitchen…but what more?  My basement is also a garage, loading station, laundry room, and entertainment area… and sure enough, I passed some showers on the way to a bowling alley with two lanes.  Turning so many corners, I became thankful for the ropes that forced you to follow a certain direction.  I was also touring the way I drive in traffic – just looking for the faster way out.  When I can’t take pictures, I find myself taking things in very quickly and, quite honestly, it was all the same.  But it was still great.  Especially when I reached the indoor pool, which explained the numerous showers and changing rooms full with 120-year-old outfits.  Yes, this was an antique, indoor, domestic pool.  Wow.

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When I finally made it upstairs and back out of the building, I was told that the free wine tour in Antler Village wouldn’t open for over an hour.  Given my tight schedule, this was a little tricky.  I had to pass Antler Village on the way out after taking the shuttle to my car, but it was still way too early and I preferred seeing more restaurants than tasting the wine – even if it was included in my ticket.  Let them make money on it, I figured.  I’ll just come back another time – or maybe later if I have the time.  But, of course I didn’t.  And I’m okay with that.  There’s always next time.

I made my way back to Asheville’s downtown area and found several streets shut off.  I found a lot that takes cards and paid for an all-day $5 pass.  I wandered quickly up the streets to where I was this morning and found people lining the sidewalks, presumably for a parade of some kind.  I raced to the Early Girl Eatery on Wall Street, only to be put on a waiting list of 30 to 45 minutes.  Drats!, I thought.  But I kept wandering, taking photos, and then eventually stumbled on another place where I wanted to eat.  Dare I try?  I walked in and, to my luck, was sat immediately at the counter.  Traveling alone pays off!

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Here I was at the Tupelo Honey Cafe, sitting at the counter under Edison bulb lights on cords and watching the waiters anxiously grab plates off of the shelves beside me.  I checked FourSquare and the speed of the cooks (I had about 30 minutes to get out!) before deciding on the famous pancake and a side of salsa verde black-eyed peas.  Of course, the food came with an amazing hot biscuit, Tupelo honey, and delicious blueberry jam – as if they knew, because I don’t like jam but I love blueberries and it was sooo good!  I pressured them to move quickly and they were like lightning, delivering my food and my check with perfect timing.  I ended up boxing most of my pancake, but I still made it to my next destination with two minutes to spare!

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I felt kind of crazy, eating back-to-back meals – but I later thanked myself for boxed food while driving on the road to Cary.  When I got to the Early Girl Eatery, the parade was just starting and I had a window seat.  I anxiously ordered a coffee – then went on a limb with my non-vegetarian weekend streak and ordered the trout with stone-ground grits, beets, and a biscuit.  I saved the biscuit for later and ate trout for the first time in as long as I could remember.  The bones were tricky to deal with, but I waved it off as my amateur fish-eating skills.  The joint itself was incredible: it supported local foods and even the shirts said “Put your money where your mouth is” – how true can you get??  I bought a shirt before I left.  Yes, I spent almost $50 at this place – but I think it was a worthwhile investment.  The chalkboard on the way out even listed its fellow locavore endeavors.  What screams “I’m in it for the cause!” more than something like that?

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After I left the Eatery, I wandered past the giant iron on Wall Street and ventured into a Himalaya shop on the corner.  I bought some earrings from a kind foreign lady and took a picture for two girls hanging on the iron before passing a five-person street band that could easily be the next Mumford & Sons.  These warm, friendly, down-to-earth sentiments only grew as I continued back onto the parade street and found people dressed up to support their groups marching.  I dodged a drinking crowd (before noon!) by slipping into Jack of the Wood for a quick sip of something local – the Green Man Porter.  It was a friend’s recommendation to check it out, and I admired the vines and wooden branches decorating the bar beside the woods-painted back walls.IMG_1031 IMG_1062

I crossed the street quickly after having my drink and wandered downhill a bit to the Asheville Brewing Company.  This was a favorite of some friends, so I bravely took a seat beside a man and a woman at the bar and ordered the Fire House IPA – a jalapeño beer. Boy, do I like jalapeño beers.  I sipped for a long time on my choice until, as it wound down to the bottom, the girl beside me left her seat for a moment and the guy addressed me.  Before I knew it, I became Facebook friends with the girl beside me.  These two moved to Greenville, South Carolina from not far in my part of Pennsylvania. Amanda and Anthony offered for me to come to a Steelers game later in the season after long talks about the world and what each of us do.  You never know what you’ll find when you throw yourself out there and just start talking.  I wanted to keep touring with them, but I had a mission to finish and they were drinking to walk – not drive.  We parted ways and I headed towards my next stop in the River Arts District of town.  On the way out, I flagged down some people arriving from Tennessee and gave them my parking slip for the rest of the day.  I mean, it was only $5, but why not?

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Wedge Brewing was harder to find than I was expecting.  It was in an old warehouse near a bridge on the river, and I kept walking into galleries instead of the actual bar.  It took me walking through a leafless garden staircase decorated with metal art before I could find a door.  On the inside, I asked for a sampler but was told all of the boards were out.  Instead, I tasted the Community Porter, Iron Rail IPA, and Scottish Ale.  I wanted to keep going down the list, but I felt like the bartender was disapproving.  Instead, I settled on the Scottish Ale – her recommendation – for a half glass.  I sat out on the windy, cool river front, shelling free peanuts from a bowl into a bucket and listening to a boom box strapped to the back of some cyclists.  There were so many people out in the cold air drinking, shelling, and some even playing cornhole.  I was expecting something fancy but it was such a simple, comfortable place that I was pleasantly surprised.

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Everyone had been pressuring me to make a nearby stop, so I decided to close my tab early and wander up the street to the White Duck Taco Shop.  I was willing to go for a Bangkok Shrimp, but the menu didn’t offer it.  Instead, I settled for what I would normally pick: Banh Mi Tofu.  I contemplated getting the Black Bean or even the Duck Mole, but I was too full – and as a vegetarian, not only ordering duck would have felt weird, but I was staring at a giant duck painting and decided there was no way I could as for the Duck Mole taco.  I took my food to go and impressed the kitchen that I could walk away with just one.  Little did they know it was only 3PM and I had already had three meals and a few beers!

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The time wasn’t appropriate for me to make warm-ups before my hockey game in Cary and to also swing by Antler Village for a hefty wine tasting.  Instead, I treated myself to one last stop: the Green Man Brewery.  I settled for a glass of the House ESB, having just downed my taco.  I stood in the peculiar garage atmosphere, surrounded by bumper stickers, brewing vats, and shady side doors.  When my brew was done and I felt ready to leave, I got up from my…standing seat…and wandered out the door.  Sadly, I climbed into my car and made my way out of Asheville.  On I-40, I drove east towards Raleigh and, ultimately, Cary, sadly leaving behind my mountains and my list of other places to explore.  But, I have to say,…what a great town!  Okay, “hipster”, yes, but I’m pretty sure that’s why I’m in love with it.  Out of all of the “cities” there are out there, Asheville is one that feels the most like home!

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Welcome to Asheville

22 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by Kayla Faith in North America, North Carolina

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Asheville, beer, brewery, Brewing, Brewing Company, creative menu, explore, food, local, North Carolina, solo, The Admiral, Thirsty Monk, travel, Wicked Weed

After working for a couple straight weeks and pocketing a fair share of overtime cash, I decided I wanted to make something more out of my next trek out of Ohio.  I play for the Tri-City Selects, a North/South Carolina ice hockey team for women that is based out of Cary in the Raleigh area.  We have home games this weekend and my drive is a fair eight or more hours from Cleveland.  Last trip, I stopped off at home in Pennsylvania.  This time, I decided to pick a new city.  Why not Asheville, North Carolina?  I’ve heard so many good things about it and it’s in the mountains – my kind of city.  The visit would add four hours to my driving, the distance between Asheville and Cary to the east, but I decided to book a hotel on Hotwire and just go for it.

I left work as soon as our chili cook-off was winding down.  I ended up winning the contest, to my surprise, and I delivered some chili to coworkers who were on-site at a job that was on my way to Asheville.  It was nice to drive two hours to just before the Ohio border and take a break before continuing another six.  The length of West Virginia is the longest in the drive and I usually prefer its windiness over the boring Ohio roads, but this time it rained all but about 20 minutes of my drive and most of the trip was in the dark.  By the time I got to Charleston, I just couldn’t wait to cross another border.

Normally I would take I-77S to I-40E in North Carolina, but this time I got off 77 at Wytheville (WITH-ville), Virginia and jogged southwest to Bristol, Tennessee – the town I wrote about in one of my past entries.  I turned back east again around Johnson City and passed through the Cherokee National Forest, hitting the North Carolina border in the mountains.  Maybe 20 minutes later, I was already in the heart of Asheville, Appalachian North Carolina.

I had an ambitious list to complete before my game tomorrow night in Cary, so I decided to check into my hotel later and instead went straight to the first place.  I grabbed dinner at The Admiral, a dimly lit and extremely tiny garage-like shack with a peculiar side entrance and limited parking lot.  Inside, the place had very little seats – which could explain why I couldn’t find reservations during any time of the two days I will be in Asheville.  The lady on the phone had told me to either come early or look for a bar seat.  I managed to get a bar seat within 30 minutes of close.  I scanned the menu and selected the order with spaetzle without thinking that “sweetbread schnitzel” meant meat.  When it arrived, it was accompanied by greens, capers, and mustard foam.

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I don’t eat meat, but I ate it anyway and it tasted just like a dish my mom makes.  The serving was tiny but the service was incredibly fast and I stuck with only that course.  The Admiral in West Asheville really is unconventional, an affordably fancy place with an open kitchen that reminds you more of a hamburger joint.  You can understand why their website describes it as “The elegance of a clipper ship in full sail with the practicality & elegance of a cinder block.”

My next stop was downtown Asheville where I started at the Thirsty Monk.  This bar is unusual because it has an upstairs with American beers and a downstairs dedicated to Belgians.  I went to the basement bar and had a number of Belgian brews.  Making friends with the bartender was definitely in my favor for she kept giving me tastes of different kinds.  I started with a full Catawba Chocolate Saison, followed by a half of Triple Van de Garre.

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I was given some of the bartender’s favorite, the Rodenbach Grand Cru.  It was bitter and cherry, so I next picked a similar half with the St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition.  I decided to head out and the bar tender offered for me to go out with her when she got off her shift, but I found that I was way too tired later.

My last stop of the night was thus Wicked Weed.  I took at table and was shocked at the garage door-like side being rolled up and all of the people sitting around torches in the cold outside.  I had a Sir Ryan the Pounder Session and snacked on boiled peanuts cooked with IPA and sumac.  I lingered for awhile before deciding it was time to check in and go to sleep.  I drove to the Tunnel Road area and checked into Days Inn, then was asleep by not long after midnight.  I wanted to have the energy to finish my list the next day.

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A Day in the Rockies

03 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by Kayla Faith in Colorado, North America

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AISES, Alaska, bar, beer, Below My Feet, Boulder, brewery, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, Coors, Dean Brody, Denver, friends, growler, Gypsy Girl, hiking, Hopeless Wanderer, indian, indigenous cultures, inspiration, life, lyrics, memories, Mesa, mountains, Mumford & Sons, National Conference, Native American, Ohio, porter, reservations, Rockies, Rocky Mountains, solo, songs, South Table Top Mountain, Taylor Swift, travel, treacherous, world travel

And now for a lot of photos and Instagrams.

Today was a day of hiking.  It began a little later than I had hoped because we were up so late the night before, but Jacob did indeed meet us at Claire’s apartment and we headed for South Table Top Mountain and the mesa.  It’s hard to remember we are in the desert until you feel the intense dryness of the air.  But it was in the mid 70s!

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Claire and Jacob ascended the side.

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Green lichen?

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Me and Jacob.

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The three of us.

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Pensive Claire.

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Being artsy…

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Jacob looks like heaven is shining on him.

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A long way done for a short climb.

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I did this at the Grand Canyon too…

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Rattlesnake!

We encountered a mad snake on the way down, his rattle shaking.  Some hikers were trying to prod him off the trail with a stick.  Let it be, folks!  He just wants his peace.  We had to warn oncoming families with children and dogs.

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Driving back to Claire’s for some of my porter, we saw this scraggly fox dodging about.  Animal Control searched for him later but didn’t find him.

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We were on that!

Next, my friend James hit me up to tell me he was done visiting his family and could come over until he had to leave for his flight.  He lives in Cleveland (we went to school together, the same place where Claire went before she got a job in Cleveland and subsequently moved west a year later), but he’s been working in Canada lately.  He flies every week and decided to come home this weekend.  I was very glad he came out to see us!  He caught up with the three of us while we were eating lunch at a Thai place in Golden.

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Us after lunch in Golden.

Jacob said goodbye and headed back towards Denver to run some errands before making his 4 hour drive home.  Claire went back to school.  I jumped in James’ car and we headed north a short trip to Boulder.  He says he used to go there often during high school, but the times had changed and things already seemed different.  He was still a great expert to have.

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People walking around the busy strip.

We walked up and down a couple of times on the main stretch before deciding beer over coffee.  We tried a place that seemed unfamiliar to James and sat outside with a local brew and some nachos.  We met some nice people lined up around us on a side-walk facing bar table.  We couldn’t stay too long because our time was running out.  The air started cooling off suddenly and I wondered if it was going to spontaneously snow.  We headed out before we could know.

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Me and James about to leave Boulder for Golden.IMG_0756

James dropped me off at the Colorado School of Mines where Claire told me she needed to still work and gave me her car keys.  I took off for Lookout Mountain.

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You could see the snow on the mountains in the distance.IMG_0759

This same mountain top boasts Buffalo Bill’s grave.

I decided to head towards the snow and turned around at the top of a mountain beyond Idaho Springs.  It was dark and snowy and the stars were out.  “Treacherous” (Taylor Swift) began to play on my iPhone.  It was so appropriate – the same song I played last year while driving through the dark and snow in Alaska.

Two headlights shine through the sleepless night
And I will get you a-, get you alone
Your name has echoed through my mind and I just
Think you should, think you should know
That nothing safe is worth the drive and I will
Follow you, follow you home
I’ll follow you, follow you home

And who would’ve thought that song still makes me think of the same guy a whole year later?  Well,… no need to go into that.

My summer song had become Gypsy Girl by Dean Brody after I felt just like a wandering, lost girl with tired feet.  This site name does, after all, mean “tired feet” in French – and there’s a reason for it!

But this trip, if I had to pick my theme song from this trip… I definitely think Mumford & Sons is the most appropriate.  And, although I have become a “Hopeless Wanderer”, the song that really shook me this trip while standing on the top of the world in the mountains was “Below My Feet”:

Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn

What could be more appropriate?  No classroom is better suited for learning than the outdoors, than the world.  Look at all these things I have seen this summer and continue to see.  And here I am, coming full-circle a year later, having witnessed the same struggles the people on the reservations face which exist in even the most remote corners of India.  Like I said last year (in ‘Defining “Native America”‘) on my final night with my friends in Alaska, We are all so different and yet…exactly the same.

My flight is too early in the morning for Claire to take me.  I hired a shuttle to get me at 3:30am, then we spent the evening finishing off my growler and watching YouTube videos and discussing Indian policies, the world, the folly of mankind…

I’m going to miss you, friend.

Day 3: AISES National Conference 2013

02 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by Kayla Faith in Colorado, North America

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AISES, AISESNC, Alaskan, big blue bear, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Colorado, Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Hawai'ian, hiking, indian, Mexican, NASA, National Conference, Native American, Ohio, Potawatomi, powwow, regalia, Shawnee, solo, student, travel

 

The final official day of the conference and I am back to volunteering even more than for what I had signed up.  During a break from running forms to sessions and other small tasks, I went shopping for jewelry at the stands.IMG_0582

I had almost forgotten that my new apartment has the perfect ledge for a pot and that I had decided to look for one at conference.  Last year, I bought a painting from an old Alaskan artist.  This year, when I saw pottery on sale, I suddenly remembered what I had wanted to buy and knew I needed to get one.  It was over $200, but I chose this little pot by Cynthia Yazzie.  For a little extra money, she had it shipped back home for me.  Cynthia grew up on a reservation and was dirt poor her whole life.  Her pottery has so much symbolism, I didn’t regret buying it for a second.

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Later I attended some sessions regarding the conditions of the reservations and engineering data collection – all things pertinent to my field of interest.  I’m currently working with some professors and global leaders on a model for creating self-sustainable reservations, so I took this time to network with some people.  I made some new connections besides the speakers, such as my new friends Thomas of New York and Rae of Oregon who have similar passions.

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I spent quite a bit of time helping the others set up for the Traditional Banquet.  The conference didn’t seem nearly so long this year.  I had so much fun last time and, thinking of how time flies, this surprised me.  Maybe I was just so busy bouncing between events; last year I was so focused on my research and not having many people I knew kept me searching.

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The centerpieces were maize kernels with fake candles.  We couldn’t have real flames, so we had batter candles that were still made of wax.  They were French Vanilla too, which is apparently cheaper than non-scented.  I joked that the candles might make popcorn.

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Me with a bunch of the volunteers.

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The big blue bear outside of the convention center.

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I later decided to walk around to kill off an hour or so before the banquet.  I got to see more of downtown Denver, smell pot on the streets, and try a new brewery.IMG_0607

Then it was time to arrive at the banquet.  I actually had several invitations to sit with people – the perks of being alone – but I could only accept one.  I took my first offer, with Frazer and his Alaskan friends.

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Me and Frazer at the banquet.

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The meals are always traditional.  It was National Bison Day and they were serving bison.  I had the vegetarian version.

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I had to run back and grab Claire because she attended the Powwow after dinner, so she sat to see the end of Closing Ceremony, meet friends, and snack on leftovers.  After, we went upstairs for the powwow.

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I was supposed to volunteer – my only signed-up-for event of they day – but no one was needed.  Instead, I got to enjoy my time and introduce friends from different circles – one of my favorite things ever!

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Claire, me, and our friend Joe from Cleveland.

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Traditional Regalia from the Men’s Traditional Dance.

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A family reunion!  Tylynn (Hawai’ian), a new friend Lorraine (Hawai’ian), Isaiah (Hawai’ian), me (Potawatomi/Shawnee), Frazer (Alaskan), and Carlos (Mexican).  Natives unite!

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The men’s trad dance is my fave.

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Me in the hall where the powwow was held.

After the powwow, I joined Claire, Frazer, Joe, my friend Jacob, and a new face from Washington up on the top floor of the Hyatt for some drinks.  The police were yet again swarming our space and I began on edge.  (Why everywhere the AISES kids go?)  Thomas was also in the lounge.  It was too dark to see Denver clearly under the bright lights of the buildings.

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Neat artwork in the hotel lobby.

It was a good night but I was sad to leave my friends.  Yet another good year, although nothing can top Alaska.  AISES is always a source of inspiration and happiness.

Jacob took my number and says he can go hiking with me and Claire tomorrow.  We’ll see if he keeps his promise!

 

Day 2: AISES National Conference 2013

01 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by Kayla Faith in Colorado

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AISES, Alaskan, alcohol, Anchorage, Colorado, Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Hawai'ian, hotel, indian, Indian Country, lake, Mexican, minority, National Conference, Native American, Orlando, solo, stereotype, student, travel

Second day of AISES.  Today is the poster presentations for the students, and I was only there a short year ago.

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The archway announcing next year’s NC in Orlando, like last year’s archway in Anchorage announced Denver.

I started the morning by volunteering at the posters, anxious to meet up with my friends Tylynn and Isaiah from Hawai’i.  I hadn’t since them since we were in Anchorage.  Unfortunately, my help was not needed at the posters.  I ended up greeting people and checking tags at the front of the Career Fair nearby.  I finally got a chance to walk around and say hi to Tylynn, but she had a lot of people interested in her poster so I couldn’t stay long.

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The view of downtown Denver from where I stood at the gate to the Career Fair, Floor 2.

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A panoramic shot of the career fair, the biggest in Indian Country.

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Me wearing the traditional necklace with wampum and family jewels my family gave me as a graduation gift.  It was made by General B. Grant and his wife Ute of the Cherokee tribe in NC.

After I was done volunteering for the day, I offered to give a fellow volunteer, Lee, a ride to his car and then continued north to meet my friends in Fort Collins.  We went to Stumpy’s Cider Bar.  I got to see my friend Amanda for the first time in who knows how many years.  We’ve known each other since we were 6 and we used to play “twins”.  Our moms still see each other every once in awhile, but Amanda has since moved to Colorado for school and now her career.  I met her friend Kyle and the three of us spent a few hours together.  After the cider bar, we drove to the O’Dell Brewery.

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Some cool stuff going on on the way to O’Dell’s.

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The counter in O’Dell’s.

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I awkwardly took this photo in front of the cashier – but it was cool!

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Me and Amanda in O’Dell’s.

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Don’t mind if I do.

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A growler of Cutthroat Porter that I later shared with friends after hiking.

My friend Claire was going with a friend to a Halloween party in Denver.  Sadly, I couldn’t make it because of the Social which I told her I just could not miss.  It was such a blast last year!  So I had to drive back to Golden to pick up Claire’s apartment key.  She gave me a local brew, Coors, and said she wishes the brewery were open Sunday so we could get three free beers each on a tour.

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We then decided to make an elaborate dinner based on what was in the fridge.  And by elaborate, I really mean I sauteed some mushrooms, she mashed some potatoes, and we tossed baby spinach in dressing, baby spinach that was in fact enormous.

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We have an odd tendency to make strange faces when we pose with, well, anything.

Before long, it was time for Claire to dress up and her friend to meet up with them to take them away to the party.  I hung around for a bit, Instagramming and relaxing with tea before heading back into downtown Denver.

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Claire and her friend dressed up for the party.

I parked in town and ran into the convention center, not long after the dance started.  My Menominee friends were pouring out already.  They said it was not that fun and that they were going to a jazz bar, Appaloosa.  I wanted to join them, but I needed to find my Hawai’ian friends.  They were the life of the party last time!  But I’m so glad I did stick around to find them.  I finally found Tylynn and met up with Isaiah, Carlos, and even Frazer, all familiar faces from my Anchorage trip last year.  We may hardly see each other, but they are seriously like my family to me now.  I just feel so safe and happy with them.  Maybe that’s just what AISES does to you.

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Open floor!  It was very dark, but here’s a shot of some students showing off their skills!

Something about AISES just feels so nonjudgemental.  You can just be yourself, and every one is so interesting!  Not only do I actually dance (which I normally hate to do), but I come out of each Social absolutely panting.  I’m also amazed to see Chair members out there dancing right along with us, being just as crazy.  In fact, I remember at one point that song that tells you what to do saying “Do the Charlie Brown!” and the Board Chair Mary Jo shouted, “What?!  What does that mean?” — but I didn’t know either!!

When the dance slowly started winding down (and, let me tell you, with the numbers we had last year, that didn’t happen until its midnight close and later), my friends decided to mosey on out.  We headed across the street to their hotel (the Hyatt) and sat up in one of their rooms, sipping on Coke, apple juice, and maybe a little bit of rum.  It was so nice to see the same old faces, mixed with new, from all over this country.  I finally had some good chatting with Frazer, a native Alaskan who drove some of us up to that frozen lake in Alaska last year.  He’s a good dancer and he has incredible manners.

Isaiah turned on his music to let us relax while some of the girls dressed up for the club they were proposing to visit.  I sat and chatted, rocking my jeans and boots.  I only brought one dress and am saving it for the Traditional Banquet.  Before long, there was a knock at our door.  A familiar knock, like the ones we had our last night in Anchorage when we were crazy loud but the hotel only partially seemed to care.  This night, it was a harsh knock about two songs deep from the hotel manager.  “We’ve had noise complaints…” Isn’t that how it always goes?  But really?  I was shocked by the calm dispositions of my friends.  They merely accepted the state of their accusation and apologized.  Isaiah turned down his music.  We started whispering, except for a couple of us who periodically forgot ourselves.

As the plans drew together and more students began arriving to the room, the noise level raised ever so slightly.  We tucked our rum bottle away just in time.  The door knocked again and Frazer made his way to the door.  Isaiah was completely sober and suggested that he answer it, but it was too late.  “It’s just the hotel manager again,” was the information until the door was opened and several cops stepped in from the sides.  Oh…

“Guys, yet another complaint….and how many people are in here?  Are you guys actually staying here?”

“Yes, we’re just from different rooms.  We were about to leave.  Sorry if we were loud, we really were just meeting to head out.”

“Are you drinking in here?  Are you all 21?”

“Yes, we are, but we were really just leaving to go somewhere else.  Sorry for the inconvenience.”

I became extremely skeptical of these cops.  Were we being targeted?  Why?  Someone then mentioned that an AISES member was throwing up in the elevator not long before.  I began to worry, for several reasons.  One, who was that ill from AISES?  Are they okay?  I heard they were not a student, which concerned me further.  Alcohol is a bit of a taboo in AISES and native culture in general, just because it is associated with a lot of pain and trouble.  But then I wondered, is AISES being targeted?  My mind wanted to quickly accuse the white hotel staff of targeting Indians as alcoholics…but maybe I was being obnoxious.  How could they know we were a part of AISES?  Or could they?  Based off of reservations and appearance?  I should hope not.  And in my defense of my group, I also feared if we were perpetuating a stereotype — and also angered by the reality that no Indian can enjoy his or herself reasonably and within the typical standards of drinking without an outsider labeling him or her as an alcoholic.  Imagine it and you might see, too, how easy that stereotype could transpose itself.

We all went down to wait in the lobby.  At this point, I was just waiting on a text from Claire saying she was leaving Boulder.  I’d have to leave immediately for Golden when she texts me.  I told my friends I might head to Appaloosa where Josh was alone, but just as I decided that I got the text from Claire and had to head out.  The cops were still stalking our shadows and I hugged my beloved friends and made my way out the door.  I got back to find Claire following me shortly thereafter, exasperated by the results of the party.  Hearing her stories, it’s hard to remember that marijuana is legal in this state.  It’s a weird sensation.  We chatted a bit, then went to bed.  I have an early morning tomorrow.

Day 1: AISES National Conference 2013

31 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by Kayla Faith in Colorado, North America

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AISES, Boulder, conference, Denver, drive, explore, indian, learn, national, National Conference, Native American, solo, travel, understand, venture

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The morning started early.  I drove east from Golden towards downtown Denver and only somewhat beat the traffic into the city.  I parked nearby and went to the Colorado Convention Center, grab breakfast, and show up to help volunteer at Opening Ceremony.  The ceremony was just a series of speeches and I found myself soon done and free to go.

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Convention center.

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Crowd and Colorado flag flying.

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My ID.

In the afternoon, I ran out of things I wanted to attend.  I ended up dropping a fellow volunteer off at another location and then driving north to Standley Lake.  I have a friend who says he got stuck off-roading here once…And, well, let’s just say I didn’t.   I stayed in the parking lot, tyvm.

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The calm drive.

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Prairie Dog holes!

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Tributary.

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Beach.

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Near some tracks.

After walking around for a bit, I decided to have dinner at the original Chipotle!  Boy, is it tiny.  There wasn’t even a place to make an order, just to pay.  And there were a handful of chairs, at least in comparison to what there normally is.

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Original Chipotle in Denver.

I had dinner at the original Chipotle, as tiny as it is.  I then went into town and searched for things to do in between the sessions.

 

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Walking by the mall on 16th.

I decided to stroll around downtown a bit.

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In Boeing’s room, during the Hospitality Suites.

I met up with two Menominee friends and one Iroquois friend to see the different rooms set up for the hospitality suites.  There were a lot of hors d’oeuvres.

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Awkward….at Wyncoop downtown.

We went to a brewery called Wyncoop after.  It was far and my friends hired a bike man.

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The golf cart we rode back for a tip.

When we went to leave, we called the golf cart again and took off for downtown.

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Oh, Halloween…and the second year that I spent it with my Menominee friends.

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Home with Claire…having short bread and tea!  Yumm….I was so tired, but ready to get up early yet again to volunteer!

 

Denver, Cheyenne, and a Taste of Nebraska

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Kayla Faith in Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming

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airport, AISES, Alaska, Anchorage, Bahamas, buffalo, Bushnell, Case Western Reserve University, Cheyenne, Cleveland, Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, cows, Denver, Devil's Tower, Freedom's Edge, Golden, Heather Spruce, hockey, Jackson Hole, message in a bottle, microbrewery, mountains, Native American, Nebraska, Ohio, plains, rental, rock climbing, Sarah Palin, solo, student, travel, truck, tumbleweed, Wyoming

It is that time of the year again!  This date officially marks the one year anniversary of my travel blog!  In 2012 at this time, AISES National Conference was held in Anchorage, Alaska.  It was my first attendance to an AISES event ever and I competed. I wrote about my time in Alaska on this blog, from my days hiking on the glacier, to delivering research presentations, and even including my adventures north to find the Northern Lights after spending an afternoon with Sarah Palin’s sister, Heather Spruce.

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My truck.

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A stop at Carter Lake on the way through Fort Collins.

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Carter Lake.

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The countryside.

This year, the Conference is in Denver, Colorado.  As with Anchorage, it has been here before.  The ceremonies open in the morning and so I have flown out for early registration and to explore the area a bit.  I flew in to Denver International Airport and took a shuttle to Enterprise to rent a pick-up truck.  I was anxious to see some areas I’d never seen before (namely in Wyoming), but I made a quick detour for lunch in downtown Denver with a friend, Jeremy, whom I met in a very…unique situation.

Back in March, I was with my friend Andrea on San Salvador island looking for her shoes on the beach when I found a wine bottle with a piece of paper stuffed in it.  I smashed the bottle to find a note from a kid who was at the GRC base not long before we were.  He and I were both on the island for programs, both from the same region of Pennsylvania, and both going to school in Ohio.  I wrote back to him although my mom forgot to mail the letter until I was already abroad for my summer trips.  Jeremy replied via e-mail and we began chatting and added each other on Facebook.  Jeremy saw that I was going to be in Denver this month and so was he, attending the conference that was ending at the Colorado Convention Center the same time mine was about to begin.  Thus, we met for lunch.

I found a place called Paris on Platte that had a music venue side as well as a cafe side.  There was a wide variety of healthy, vegan, and ordinary foods, as well as coffees, alcoholic drinks, and desserts.  We chatted for some good time before I was ready to venture north.  I dropped him back off at his sessions and headed north out of the city, passing through Fort Collins and eventually coming to the Wyoming border.  The speed limit of 75 was definitely in my favor although the winds were strong.  I took selfies at the Wyoming state line sign and finally crossed into a state I had been longing to see for years, my self-declared favorite state ever.

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Me at the Colorado-Wyoming border.

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Cheyenne capital building.

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Coming into Nebraska from the west.

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Me and some silly cows that were eating and tripping over tumbleweed.IMG_0536

The train tracks running by Bushnell, Nebraska.

I just love the mountains and yet the solitude.  Although I began to fall in love with Colorado more than ever, I couldn’t deny that I still felt very comfortable in Wyoming.  I had wanted to go to Devil’s Tower and Jackson Hole, but I kept my driving as limited as my time and instead ventured around Cheyenne a little.  What a small town!  I decided to head east into Nebraska, never having seen the western part of the plains states before.  I was shocked by how barren the space really was, even on this side of the Plains, and I photographed the paved roads that quickly turned to dirt, the cows munching on tumbleweeds, and the trains weaving through barren towns with old, painted water towers.

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Microbrewery in Historic Cheyenne: Freedom’s Edge.

As the sun was setting, I made my way back in to Cheyenne and photographed the wheat in the bright colors.  The train tracks were shining parallel lines running the stretch of endless fields.  Traffic picked up again in Cheyenne, and I managed to park near the train station to walk past Wrangler’s to a microbrewery in Historic Cheyenne called Freedom’s Edge.  I slowly sipped on a chili IPA, loving the spice, when I met three locals who encouraged me to try the Pumpkin Ale.  I ended up getting special privileges and sitting upstairs with these three kids, Matt, Corey, and Kris.  I kept an eye on my watch and then they invited me back to Corey’s house after chatting for some time.  They had just killed an elk and showed me the work they had done in Corey’s garage.  They also shared some of their home-brewed beer and introduced me to some more friends and the five dogs running around Corey’s house.  We chatted for a little longer, then I had to say goodbye and head back to Colorado.  I have an invitation now to return for a real tour of Wyoming.  Apparently people are very into rock-climbing out here.

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Chili beer.

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My new friends photographed me by the silly sign.

I had wanted to stop in Fort Collins to see a friend on the way back in, but I was pushing my rental hours too close and decided to drive straight back.  I made it back in the nick of time and was met by my friend, Claire.  She and I used to go to Case together and play hockey in Cleveland.  She just moved to Golden this summer, leaving her job to study for a master’s at the Colorado School of Mines.  She is going to be hosting me during my stay in Colorado.  We caught up a little on the 45 minute drive back to her dorm then I finally got to lay out in her spare room and catch up on some sleep.

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