Caves, Waterfalls, and Aliens

These last two weeks have been full of adventures!

My latest task at the YMCA was to be a counselor at I-CARE camp. This is a camp for elementary aged school children to teach them about being "green." As a result I was responsible for about 15 children for 10 hours/day (kindergarten age) as we went around the city and participated in various "green activities." We went on hikes, ate organic foods, picked up trash, and watched "green movies." We also went to the dump here which is euphemistically called an "Eco-station." The idea with this dump, is that about 40% of the material that comes in, is recycled. Also the administration building is a "green" building. The floor is made of cork (like the corks found on top of wine bottles. The light bulbs last forever and don't use very much power. The toilets hardly use any water. The building is powered by solar power (with huge solar panels on the side of the building). Worker's desks are tall so individuals can stand up while they type. The blinds are made of a special insulating material that keeps the heat from coming inside. And even the paint is made out of special kind of material that doesn't give off any smell. On the one hand, I like the idea of being "green" and then other times I think spending so much money on "organic" food is getting a bit ridiculous, but I'm still figuring out what I think.

That weekend Oliver and I planned to go to Tent Rocks National Monument. We planned on it being a short day trip, however it turned out to be a bit longer than expected. Our GPS that we have come to love and trust finally let us down. Instead of taking the well traveled freeway, the GPS led us down an old unmaintained forest service road. As we continued along the road at about 15 mph we were forced to drive through deep ravines and jump out the car to move stones (so our tires wouldn't pop). We also had to drive around 2 dead trees that had fallen across the road. We wanted to turn back, but by this time our gas was getting low and we had no choice, but to go forward. About an hour and a half later we started seeing some civilization. However, as we drove down the the windy mountain path we saw that the road we had been driving on for the last 2 hours was completely blocked off at the entrance to the city. We got out of the car and walked down to a farmhouse in the town. Luckily there was a lady and her son working out in the garden. She sat us down and called around to see who had a key to the gate. The forest service said they would send someone out to unlock it and so we patiently waited for them to come. Time kept ticking, so we started helping the lady tend the enormous garden they had. About 2 hours later we were still at the farmhouse. The son said there was actually a path that 4 wheelers would take around the road block sign and if we had four-wheel drive we might be able to take the same path. So Oliver, with his incredible driving skills, drove at about a 75 degree angle up the mountain and down the other side. We were incredibly lucky that we made it out without a popped tire or a rolled car (good thing our car is already totaled from the hail storm). The lady and her family then gave us a bunch of produce including a zucchini about the size of baseball bat and sent us on our way. We arrived at the monument about an hour and half later (6 hours to get there in all), and despite the hard time getting there the hike was incredible! (see Oliver's pictures). All around us were these formations called "tent rocks". They looked like children's building blocks stacked on top of each other. It was beautiful!


Then this weekend we made a wonderful trip to Southern New Mexico. On Friday we went to our "stake temple consecration day". We got to take a family name and do all the ordinances for the individual in one day. It was a neat experience. We then took off to make the 6 hour drive to Carlsbad. This involved driving through incredibly long stretches of absolute nothing. At one point we realized that we were nearly out of gas. Sure enough the gas light went on and when we looked up the closest gas station (on our GPS) we were about 35-40 miles away from the closest one (and or course we hadn't seen another car for ages, it's was about100 degrees outside and our cell phones didn't weren't in range). Luckily, just in time we ran into a tiny town with a gas station that the GPS hadn't picked up. Phew.

The next town we hit was Roswell. This town is famous for a supposed flurry of UFO activity that occurred there in the 1950s. It's a very eerie town. There are pictures of aliens all over the place and even the street lamps are shaped like alien heads with two slanted black eyes on them. We stopped there for dinner and then continue on our way to the camping ground in Carlsbad where we were staying the night.









We arrived at the camping ground at about 11:00PM. The town where it was located was completely dark (no street lamps) and the campground we had found on the internet was located behind a house. An old man came out to great us and told us where we could stay. We felt like we were camping in his back yard. Everything was VERY creepy, because it was so dark! The restrooms were located inside a large building with dining areas and a speaker system etc. But no one else was around. It seemed like an old abandoned place. Everything was also decorated with crosses. Come to find out, the place is an old Christian retreat, which usually caters to large church groups, but we happened to be the only ones staying there that weekend.

Anyways, we got up the next morning and drove the remaining 15 miles to the caves. These are some of the most amazing natural formations I have ever seen! The caves cover over 8 acres underground! And they're huge and wide open. Mt. Timp's cave seems a bit pathetic compared to this one. At one point there is 315 feet between the bottom and top of the cave. It was about 50 degrees and 90 % humidity in the cave and it's dimly lit with a paved walking path the entire way.








After the caves we came back to the blinding light of the New Mexico sun and drove to a place called "Sitting Bull Falls." This is one of the tallest falls in New Mexico and really is an oasis in the middle of the dessert. We swam a bit there and then took off to make the 6 hour drive back to Los Alamos.

This was our last weekend in New Mexico, as we will be heading back to Provo for school this next Friday. It's been a blast of a summer, but we're also excited to get back to Utah to see family and friends and start school again. However this last week will be a bit stressful for Oliver who is trying to work through tool malfunctions at the lab to get his experiment results by the time we leave this next weekend!

Well we can't wait to see all of you very soon!

Savoring the Last Few Weeks of Summer

Hello dear friends and family,
This last few week has been a good one for Oliver and me. We're starting to realize we only have a few short weeks before the leisure of summer ends and we return to the every day (sometimes) drag of school. However, we're excited to get back to Provo and see friends and family (in addition to having more people our age to hang out with).

This was my last week working with the YES Corps. However, next week I'll be helping with the "I-care" camp which involves working with kids from the age of 5-11 years old. That will be an adventure.

About 2 weeks ago there was a small and harmless spill at the division where Oliver works. Of course they shut down the entire division and no one can perform any work with chemicals whatsoever until every safety procedure is reviewed and tested. This means that about 400 very expensive employees have now been twiddling their thumbs at work not being able to do anything. It's especially frustrating for Oliver who needs to get results to his various tests before we leave here in 2 1/2 weeks. We're hoping the ban is lifted soon.

On Friday we were graced by Katie and Heather with her two very active kids. It was great to see them and Oliver made his famous "Pastel de chocolo" (A chilean dish), which is my favorite! It's made up of ground beef, chicken, olives, raisins, and a corn topping. It was delicious!!! We then took Katie and Heather to the overlook. I've posted picture of it below.

Saturday was a busy day! Los Alamos had their annual parade at 10:00 and Oliver (who is becoming a fantastic cook!) made some banana walnut pancakes and surprised me with them when I got home from my aerobics class. We then ate pancakes and watched the parade from our front lawn. I have to admit however, West Jordan must have spectacular parades because this one in comparison was kind of lame. It only lasted about 15-20 minutes and there weren't any floats. However, it was fun all the same.

Later that day we went to the fair which had a huge arts and crafts section. There were local jewelers and other artists selling their crafts. I bought some earrings shaped out of a yellow stoplight. We also purchased some home made apple-cinnamon jam and enchilada sauce.

After the fair we decided to make use of our last day pass to Bandeleir National Park. Upon our arrival we gave the receipt that had been sticking to our windshield all week to the park guard, but we realized that all the ink had completely worn off during the week, and he had a hard time believing that we had just come the week before. Luckily, he let us in we got there just in time to hike the 3 mile round trip to a waterfall. It was beautiful, but we couldn't stay there long for fear of getting stuck in the park since it closed at 7:00PM.

We finished off the day by going to the local diner for dinner. We were both appalled when we asked for shakes, and they told us they didn't carry any! What diner doesn't serve shakes? Isn't that the definition of a diner!? Anyways, we settled for country friend steak and banana cream pie instead.

That evening we went home and were resting up when around 10:00PM our neighbor knocked on our door. He had gone out for a smoke break and locked himself out. We tried to get a hold of the manager, but she didn't answer and so Oliver tried to use some floss and an electrical cord to jimmy the door open. It wouldn't budge, but luckily the manager finally answered her phone so the guy didn't have to sleep on our couch.

Albuquerque Temple

Bandeleir

pictures

pictures

Snakes and Ladders

August 2 2009
These last few weeks have been really fun. Oliver and I are just realizing that we only have 3 Sundays left here in Los Alamos. It’s been a great summer and I’ll probably miss this little town. However, it will be great to be back at BYU with friends and family…I’m just not looking forward to the workload yet.

This last week I went on a campout for work. It took a lot of preparation to buy and pack food and supplies for 25 + people, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. It started out on an exciting note, when I hurried out into the hall at the YMCA (before we left) and nearly stepped on a snake that had wandered into the hall. (You all know how much I like snakes). After I yelped, my co-worker came out and tried to chase it back out the door. All of a sudden the snake (which had been black) turned a bright fiery red. Ugh. I hate snakes.

On the way up to the campground I was driving the mini-van with all the gear in it. I think it was a bit much for the van, which started smelling badly and I noticed there was a flickering orange light down by my left foot. I started getting really scared that there might be a fire in the engine or something –luckily however it turned out to be just a flickering light bulb (hello--since when are there light bulbs down by the emergency break in a car?)

Anyways, we took the kids up to a place that Oliver and I camped a while ago called Jemez Falls. Somehow I convinced all the kids to get in the falls with me and we had a great time splashing around in the cool water. However, I realized after getting in with my socks and shoes on (because it’s rocky) that I had only brought one pair of socks for a 3 day campout. Later that night I took off my shoes and put them by the fire, only to realize a few minutes later that they had started melting! Good thing they were my old and worn out ones. I had to resort to putting duct tape on the back where they had become all crunchy.

That night Oliver came up to the campsite and got there right before an enormous lightning storm struck. We were literally right in the lightning storm. A flash would go off very nearby about every 5 seconds. It was also pouring like crazy. Oliver and I just sat in the car and after about 30 minutes of the storm decided we would just sleep in the car. I slept okay, but the back of the car is about 1 foot too short for Oliver, so he couldn’t straighten out the entire night. However we fared a bit better than most of the others who were wet and soggy in their tents that had been hammered by the rain.

Anyway, the next day we went to a place called Soda Damn which is this incredible formation from the volcano that used to be here. A big waterfall comes out from underneath a rock formation (that looks like a mushroom) and the water is a brown color with lots of foam on top. It literally looks like you’re swimming in cream soda. Sounds gross- but it’s actually pretty cool. Later that day we went to a trail called Las Conchas. This is one the most beautiful places my eyes have beheld. I felt as if I was walking in a fairytale. The forest was lush and beautiful with grass everywhere and covered with white daisies, golden sunflowers, and lavender fireweed. There was also a very clear brook running through it for about 3 miles. It was incredible. After that some guys from the Mountaineer club met up with us to help us rock-climb. Oliver and I have been climbing once a week at the climbing gym, but this was my first real rock climb. It was fun, but a lot harder than the climbing wall, mostly because I’m more afraid of scraping myself.

That night Oliver came up again and I tried to make dutch-oven cobbler. Well, we only had one dutch oven so I tried to make this huge batch of it. The problem was that we had put really hot coals from the grill on top of the dutch oven, and so the top got singed while the rest of the cobbler remained soggy and uncooked. Haahh, oh well.

The next morning we packed up and then went on a hike to the Valles Grande. I’ve posted a picture of that before and it’s just breathtaking.

Anyway, I continued hiking as Oliver and I went to the Bandeleir National Monument on Saturday. This is where your can see cave dwellings from Native Americans that they actually let you walk around in. We had to climb up ladders for 150 ft before we could get to them. It’s hard to imagine people actually living in them.

Meanwhile during the week Oliver and I trying to research different graduate schools to attend and what are plans are for next summer. I’m applying to be an intern in Washington D.C. to help plan and organize the annual National Folklife Festival put on by the Smithsonian. Oliver is going to try and find work at a lab nearby. We’re also thinking about applying to graduate school at Berkeley (because right now it’s the only school with both of our programs in it).

Well I hope all it going well at home. I can’t believe we’re coming back in just 3 ½ weeks!

Love,
Julie

Hail Storm Photo

Becoming a Mountain Woman

Hello friends and family,
I hope all is going well back at home and wherever you may be. It's been a great last few weeks for Oliver and I.

Over the 4th of July Oliver I and I went to the ward byb bbq. We played some ultimate frisbee and Oliver got to resurrect his old baseball skills by playing a sort of makeshift softball game. Unfortunately however the afternoon rainstorm came in and after trying getting soaked we decided to head home. That night we went to a neighboring community called "White Rock" and watched a very good fireworks show.

A few days later Oliver and I both happened to be home for lunch when a huge hail storm came in. It was so loud! Because we are such a high elevation here (7355 feet) and lightening is really close and is what often starts fires here. Anyways, Oliver and I watched in amazement as the hail got bigger and bigger until it looked like little golf balls were being dropped from the sky. We then realized that our car was being pulverized by all these little buggers and there was nothing we could do about it. After the storm we took it in for an estimate and we think the car will be totaled. About every square inch of the car has a dent on it. The good thing is, you really don't notice the dents unless you're looking for them. We're still waiting to hear back from the car place though. The funny (or not so funny) thing is though, is that everyone else in the town is in the same boat. Since it was in the middle of the day, most cars were at the lab (with no overhead parking.). A lot of people got it worse than we did--with cracked windshields and broken skylights in their home.

On Wednesday I went to Albuquerque for the first time with YES corp (my job). We were taking the kids to a low ropes course at UNM. It was really fun, but unfortunately while we were there my boss got word that her grandmother had passed away. I then ended up having to drive all the way from Albuquerque to Los Alamos (should be about 2 hours away, but ended up taking about 3). I was really really nervous to drive, because first of all it's this huge 15 passenger van, it was on the freeway in big-city traffic, I was unfamiliar with the area, and I have 15 crazy teenagers in the back. I know it's only because of my prayers that we arrived back safely. It didn't help that because of things that had gone on while in Albuquerque I was going to be about 2 hours late to my job at Smiths that evening. Luckily, we all survived it :)

Lastly, Oliver went on a fun camping trip this weekend. We went up to a place called Jemez Falls in the mountains. It takes about 45 minutes to get there and on the way you pass this place called the Valles Caldera. I've tried to post a picture above. It's a lot greener right now than it shows in the picture, but this place is probably the prettiest place I've seen in New Mexico so far...not exactly the red-rock desert look that most people think of when they hear New Mexico.

Anyways, this was the first time Oliver and I got to try out our new camping gear. We went to Santa Fe last week and bought a tent and sleeping gear for me. It will be nice when we have our own camping chairs, stove, and other such camping luxuries, but it's a start. We went with another couple from our ward and I decided to mix up the usual camping hot dog cuisine with some pigs-in-a-blanket. We would roast the hotdog, wrap it in biscuit dough, wrap it in tin-foil, and then drop it in the ashes. They took a while, but where delicious! Oliver also taught me how to chop wood. It took forever, but it was really fun and the wood smelled just like the cleaner pine-sol.

The next day we we got up and went to Jemez Falls (the topmost picture) which was gorgeous! The water was a bit cold, but once you got in it felt great! We even swam under the waterfall.
After that we came home and I gave Oliver another tennis lesson. He's getting the hang of the forehand and surprised me by his innate talent with overheads. He probably hit about 8 out of 10 perfectly. I was so pleased :) Oliver is also teaching me to play guitar and I regret to say my progress is going a little bit more slowly than his. Anyway, that night we joined our friends again for dinner and a game of croquet. We lost again, but this time Oliver put up a really good fight against our friend who is an avid golfer.

Also, Oliver and I have decided to arrange an overnight camping trip with the Laird family this coming fall when we're back. Where would everyone like to go? And what weekends would be good for them?

Change of Email Address

Dear family and friends,
I just wanted to let everyone know that I will no longer be using my sparklingfairy2@yahoo.com email address. It seems as if someone has hacked into that account and so I will be shutting down the account. I'll be using my gmail account from here on out and will probably be getting a new one of those sooner or later because of my new last name.

Thanks! Happy America Day!

Love,
Julie

More Pics

I think I've finally caught up with life...

So it's been a while since my last blog...in fact I think it was in November some time last year. A lot has gone on since then. I have returned home from Europe, gotten engaged, gotten married, and moved to New Mexico for the summer. I am going to try and update this blog on a regular basis so that I might fulfill Heidi's request :)

The wedding in late May was wonderful, thanks to all the help of family and friends, in particular, my mother. Oliver and I then took off for Kona, Hawaii to spend a week snorkeling with Dolphins, sunbathing, sea kayaking, cliff jumping, and dining on some of the best seafood possible. After the honeymoon we flew to Seattle for our second reception. Oliver's parents had done an incredible job planning this reception and it turned out beautifully! It was located at the Salish lodge just right above the awesome Snoqualmie Falls. Unfortunately, normal life had to set in again and we were only able to spend about a day and a half in Seattle. However, I was looking forward to seeing our new studio apt that we would be spending the summer in, in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Since we got here, Oliver and I haven't kept still for too long. I started working as an assitant director of a kids camp run by the local YMCA. In the evenings I work as a cashier for Smiths...neither of which have anything to do with what I'm studying, but I know if I want to I can still make each day enjoyable and I know I will get something out of them...of course in addition to the 10% I save on groceries and the free membership I have at the YMCA (which is really why I'm working there). Oliver and I have started working on some mutual hobbies. I'm teaching him how to play tennis, while he's returning the favor and teaching me how to rock-climb. I've gone twice now (only at a climbing wall at the gym) and I really enjoy it.

This last week was interesting. One of the teenagers (about 12 or 13 years old) slapped me across the face, for no apparent reason, and as Dad suggested I didn't know I had signed up to work with juvenile delinquents this summer. Later that day the brakes went out on the car I was driving and we slammed into the back of a bus. I guess all that mayhem could have explained why I refused to sell tobacco to someone under the age of 21 (but over 18) at Smiths' that night, not realizing that the 21-year-old rule applies to selling alcoholic beverages, not tobacco.

Well, I suppose that is all for now. I hope all of you are doing well, especially Natalie and the baby. I can't wait to see you all in about 2 months!