salt lake city and park city

as luck would have it, i have three friends living in park city, utah...two ladies i knew in high school, one of whom was a swim teammate, and a friend from garmisch...
katie picked me up at the airport, with two kids in tow...not her kids, kids she watches...katie works a number of different jobs, including swim coaching, and taking care of some of those kids...since i didn't think i'd ever been in utah previously, we drove through salt lake city so i could see a bit of it...in utah, it's a big city, but to me it felt like a regular town...(as i found out after the trip, the state of utah has only a couple million people)...katie and i were swim teammates in high school, i think we've only seen each other once or twice since then, and she's terrible about keeping in touch, so it was awesome to see her again...

lunch was at a random place, i had a salad...in addition to my massive sweet tooth, i love healthy food...how many people ever thought that would happen... :)
driving back to park city from salt lake city didn't take long...20 minutes? with so few people, and it being the middle of the day, there was no traffic...woo hoo...driving up to park city was beautiful...living in salt lake city or park city would be amazing...mountains all around, how could anyone not love it?
since katie is a swim coach, she takes care of some of the kids during summer days...the first place we went was the house of the two kids she had that day...a big house, beautiful views, two dogs...the biggest surprise to me, was the lack of tv...the parents made the decision that they didn't want their kids growing up with a lot of tv, so there isn't one in the house...when there is no tv, there is a lot more motivation to do something else...something active...

after being in the house for an hour or so the dad came home, so katie introduced me, then we left...hanging out at her flat, and coordinating dinner plans...
dinner was in another small town close to park city...we picked my friend christian along the way, i was super excited to see him again...there is a connection with garmischers that never goes away, even when you don't see each other for long periods of time...soooo good to catch up with him...one of katie's friends came along as well, scott...nice to meet him...
on the way home from dinner katie said she had $4 burning a hole in her pocket, so what did we do? go to a bar of course...hee hee...park city is a small town, mostly built around outdoor sports...the people who live there are really into those sports, and there isn't a lot of cultural stuff to do...for straight girls like me, there are lots of guys, the ratio is heavily in my favour:)

the next morning katie headed off to swim practice while i slept...how did i ever make it through all those morning practices when i swam competitively? she had two more kids with her when she came home after practice...the mom of one of those kids works at one of the ski resorts in the area, so it was possible to get discounted/free tickets to the chair lifts...even though there is no snow right now, being on top of the mountains was awesome...beautiful...
after coming back down, we headed into another area of town, close to main street...that day was 24 july, which is utah day, or something like that...basically the independence day of the state...at least, that's how i understood it...pioneer day...those who are not mormon sometimes call it pie and beer day...there are always special activities, parades, etc, happening on pioneer day...we took the girls and went to a luge/sled kind of thing...i don't know how to describe it properly...fun:)

the mom of one of the kids picked up both of the kids at the sledding thing, and we went home...a visit to coldstone creamery and the grocery store got us dinner...more salad...YAY!!
the next morning, katie again went to swim practice, i slept in again...hee hee...
before katie came back from practice, her sister nancye picked me up...nancye used to play soccer, and is still into the sport...the first thing we did was go back to her flat and watch the US team beat france in the olympics...soccer is one of those sports that takes foreva to find a champion, so they start the tournament before the official start of the olympic games...U-S-A  U-S-A...

since i still hadn't really seen salt lake city, we headed out so i could walk around a bit...after lunch, our first stop was the temple...if you know anything about utah, you've probably heard that it's full of mormons...the real name of the church is of jesus christ and the latter day saints...LDS for short...the head temple is in SLC, as are the administrative offices of the church...a giant complex...the LDS church is involved in business as well as religion...there is a mall in downtown salt lake city owned by the church, the entire mall is closed on sundays, even with stores like macy's...

if you aren't a member of the church, and in good standing, you don't get to go into the temple...in the visitors center (yes, the visitors center!) there is a model of the inside of the temple, so it's possible to get an idea of what you're missing...we were able to go in other buildings in the complex, though i'm not very sure what they were...worship spaces, but i don't know what made them different from the main temple..
after walking around the temple complex, the next stop was a tour of brigham young's house...he was one of the early leaders of the church, a former governor of the state...according to the sisters (females in the church are referred to as sisters) who showed us around the house, only one of brigham young's wives lived in the house...i'm not sure where the others lived...(in the early days of the church, polygamy was legal, and accepted, even encouraged)...
nancye has a part time job as a receptionist at a massage place, which entitles her to discount massages...we both signed up, and it felt amazing...i love a good massage:)

for dinner we went back up to park city...somehow we thought there would be an outdoor concert, but that didn't happen...christian and scott came again, so nancye got to see them...she'd only met scott once before, and didn't know christian at all...scott had prepped food for an outdoor concert, so he brought that...yay...i love group dinners, and i enjoy bringing different groups of my friends together...
nancye drove me to the airport at a ridiculously early hour the next morning...she lives super close to the airport (anyone in salt lake city, or even park city, lives close to the airport) and it's a small airport, so i didn't have to be there as early as i would normally like to be...

san diego

my biggest reason for going to san diego was to spend some time with grandma...she's 92, and still in pretty good health...:)
my first flight from vegas to LA was fine...the connecting flight from LA to san diego was delayed by an hour or so? I WAS NOT HAPPY...i ended up arriving at grandma's place just after midnight...i hate arriving anywhere that late...ugh...
we both went to bed straightaway...it was nice...

one morning we went to the grocery store...exciting stuff, i know:)...i think it was that evening that i joined grandma and her friends at dinner...they're all older than she is, i love the conversations...one was a vet during WWII, he fought in italy...another still works 40 hours a week, and spends time on his blackberry when he is home...
the next day we went to breakfast at harry's...according to grandma, this is a johnson family tradition...wheneva anyone visits her, they go there for breakfast...this is not my first visit to san diego, but it was my first trip to harry's so i have clearly missed the memo somewhere along the line...ooops...harry's is a typical hole in the wall diner/breakfast place...i love these types of places...it was packed, but i loved it anywho...for some strange reason i was in the mood for salt/protein (as opposed to my normal sweet tooth) so i went for the basic eggs and bacon...
one afternoon my friend layna drove down and picked me up...this is the chick i traveled with during my epic asia trip...we hadn't seen each other since, so it was great to catch up...she had the phone number of another garmisch friend, michelle...when we called, michelle was tail gating before a san diego padres game, she invited us to come...
layna and i figured hey, why not? petco park, the stadium is located in downtown san diego, an area i don't ever recall visiting...oh well...the stadium is really squeezed in tightly, there is no room for expansion...we found michelle, and finally got to meet her husband...well, layna had met him previously, i hadn't...great for the three of us to catch up...
michelle and her husband are season ticket holders for the padres, so they were able to get us a discount on our game tickets, we only paid $7!! our tickets were up on the 3rd level, but after the first three innings michelle sent us a text telling us to come down to the 1st level where they had their tickets, she'd gotten 'permission' for us to sit down there...AMAZING SEATS...the padres ended up losing the game, though it did go extra innings....and the fireworks afterward were fun:)
my last morning in san diego grandma and i went to church...it's been a long while since i've been to a presbyterian church, it was nice...plus there was a special choir performing, and i loved it...we didn't stick around to chat, which was also nice for me, since i didn't know anyone else there...
i didn't do any sightseeing in san diego, i just spent time with people...my computer had troubles and crashed not too long afterward, and i hadn't backed up the few photos i took, so they're lost foreva...argh argh argh...

vegas baby!

when i lived in germany i got to be friends with an aussie chick named chelise...10+ years later of keeping in touch later, she's now in vegas...las vegas is one of the most famous american cities, a pilgrimmage of sorts...i know heaps of people who have been to vegas, but until now, i've never been...
chelise and her boyfriend sean picked me up at the airport, which i found to be surprisingly small for this city...my flight was two hours late, argh...something about the plane in chicago being tested, then our plane being changed...a relatively long flight (most domestic flights in the states just aren't that long) and of course they no longer serve free food...

it took ages for my luggage to come out, i felt like i could've gotten my bag off the plane and walked faster...two other flights were unloaded onto that baggage carousel before my flight!
the two hour delay plus the long flight meant i was starving when i got off the plane...chelise and sean asked if i was craving anything in particular, so i figured i'd go to a fast food joint i haven't yet visited during this visit to the states...who doesn't love a spicy chicken sandwich from wendy's?
the next morning we all had a lazy morning, and it was lovely...sean is in school, and has to study all the time, chelise works crazy hours...neither one of them ever has much down time...so much so that they hardly know how to relax!! sean cooked us all breakfast burritos...YUM...he definitely knows how to cook:)...i also got my first taste of one of the gazillion flavoured coffee creamers available in the states...vanilla caramel, or something like that...YUM!!

after chilling out for a couple more hours, we checked into a hotel...it's part of a time share sean owns...i don't completely understand the system, but there is something about a number of points each year...anywho, this particular hotel had a lazy river, jacuzzi, pool, and heaps of lawn chairs...our 2 bedroom (and 2 bathroom!!) suite overlooked all of this...sweet as :)
since we had all last eaten at breakfast, and it was then early afternoon, we were all hungry...we ended up at a chain restaurant with a big menu...normally i'm not a huge fan of these types of places, but the food was pretty good...and, as i should've expected, the servings were huge...needless to say, i overate...(this seems to be a theme of the entire summer)...

on the way back to the hotel we stopped by an electronics store, i picked up a tripod to replace the one i left behind in colorado springs...i never did figure out where i left it, maybe at the garden of the gods? this time i bought a gorillapod with magnetic feet...i can't wait to use it!!
finally we made it into the pool...yay!! the sun had gone down enough that the lazy river was entirely in the shade...which made it juuuuuust too chilly for chelise, she only wanted to do a lap at a time...the jacuzzi was great too, but just on the side of too warm...we went back and forth, back and forth...i didn't mind...i'm always happy to be around water...
that night we had intended to clean up then go out to dinner...it didn't happen...we were all slow about showering, and we kept talking...chelise had brought a dvd of a denzel washington movie, so the change of plans included watching the movie and calling somewhere for food delivery...chelise and i both fell asleep waaaaaaaay before the end of the movie...hee hee...

the following morning we all woke up slowly, and attempted to enjoy the coffee and tea we found in the kitchen...not.very.good...for breakfast we went to a place called hash house a go go...it's somehow supposed to have farm food 'with a twist'...the restaurant even claims indiana as inspiration...hmmm...chelise and sean warned me that the portion sizes were huge, but i still think they understated the sizes...BIG.PLATES! i ate less than half the mashed potatoes, meatloaf, tomato slices, biscuit, and two egss...the way the food is presented on the plates is definitely worthy of being called food porn...surprisingly, the hot chocolate wasn't that great...good, but not great...

then we took the dogs to the park...two border collies...i'm not sure how i feel about a park in vegas that has green grass, given that this is a desert, so a lot of water must be used...the dogs loved it though...
breakfast was so big that even at 1600 i still wasn't hungry again, so deciding what to do for dinner wasn't easy...sean and i were also 'fighting' over who was going to pay for dinner...after talking about a heap of options, malaysian food ended up being the winter...
since i was in vegas for the first time, i wanted to see what makes vegas famous...the strip...not surprisingly, chelise and sean avoid the area like the plague...i didn't want to spend a lot of time there, but i did want to see it...so we all hopped in the car, and drove to the strip...when we first got to the strip, it was still day...that is, the sun was still up...the first stop was at the end closest to the vegas sign...i got my photo taken with the sign, yippee...(gotta prove i was there, right?)...

from there we  drove down the strip, then back again...our first trip through was during daylight...there are heaps of people walking everywhere...i had the idea that it would be an easy stroll to walk down the strip...but crossing the street often means walking up stairs, over a small overpass, then down stairs on the other side...plus, the strip is a lot longer than i expected...(it's never that lon in movies!)...it's just hotels, shopping, and restaurants...when we got to the end, we turned around and did it again...this time it was dark, so all the lights were on...it looked totally different!!
the car chelise and sean drive has a sun roof, so i was able to stick my camera out and take photos as we drove...fun...so much traffic...
i also wanted to see a view of the area from up high...chelise and sean had to think to figure out a bar/hotel that would allow us to go up without having a dress code or a cover charge...THE hotel, which is another property in the mandalay bay hotel has a bar called mixx (or is it mix? or 'the mix'?) which served our purpose...figuring out where to park wasn't straightforward, but after that we were good...finding the right spot in the hotel to take and elevator up wasn't easy, but oh well...the view was great, i just stared for a while...i love seeing cities all lit up at night, and vegas is unique...a lot of the hotels have 'different' shapes...

the next morning chelise and i went hiking...yahoo!! vegas is mostly known for it's over the top hotels/gambling, but it should also be known for the gorgeous scenery just outside town...a lot of visitors make a day trip to the grand canyon, i decided to save that for another visit...we hiked in an area called red rock canyon...chelise could tell you the name of the particular hike we did, i don't remember...
a beautiful hike, not too long, not too short...it was approximately 92F when we started, and just under 100F when we finished...note to self: bring more than 1 liter of water in that kind of heat...that being said, it was still awesome...chelise has learned the names of most of the plants, and can identify most of the rock as well...(sorry, but i don't remember as many of the names as i should!)...i could go into more detail, but the whole point of the hike was just to enjoy hiking, and beautiful scenery with a good friend...
on the way home from the hike we stopped in the grocery store for gatorade and water...very much needed!

after getting home we didn't do much, chelise and i both ended up with headaches...yuck...i made the mistake of getting online, which probably made the headache worse...taking a shower when you're nauseous from a headache is not fun...it took me foreva to pack up my things just because i kept staring at nothing in particular...
chelise drove me to the airport, i was sad to go:(

chicago pt 2

i flew back into chicago on a friday morning...kelley picked me up at the airport...i love that she drives an olive green car, it's much easier to identify when you're waiting outside...i had the option of going to work again, or staying at home and napping...i chose the nap...

the next morning all 4 of us (kelley, jon, me, meatball) piled in the car and drove to indiana...on the way we stopped for a break (meatball needed to get out of the car) at a dairy farm/business...as suggested, i got a milkshake...(mint chocolate chip)...YUM...the business has a barn where you can watch babies born, see cheese made, etc...there is also a bouncy floor...i realize that doesn't make any sense, so think of it this way: a giant floor made of the same material you see in bouncy slides and such...SO MUCH FUN...jon and i were the only ones bouncing at that hour, i loved it...my new favourite place in indiana!

we dropped jon off on campus, then continued to kelley's parents house...i first met kelley's parents when kelley and i were in uni at indiana university...since i attended the university in my hometown, i never got to "go home for the weekend"...kelley invited me a couple times that year, her parents were always very welcoming...how could i not love going to a house where i'm offered apple pie AND cheesecake for breakfast?!?! plus, i love their house:)

we spent the night and next morning just relaxing...after going out to breakfast at a diner type restaurant we packed up the car and drove back to chicago...we got to stop at the dairy place again, though this time i settled for a kids cone: a scoop of chocolate ice cream...the next smallest item on the menu was a double scoop, which i really didn't need!!

dinner that night at portillo's, a well known chicago chain of chicago style fast food...hot dogs, italian beef sandwiches, pasta, etc...i don't always mention where i eat dinner, but both this place and malnati's are special to chicago...if i understand correctly, you can order from each of them around the country, their products are delivered!!

all day monday i hung out in the house, doing dishes and laundry, as well as packing...my flight to vegas wasn't until early evening...

colorado springs: i'm not in europe anymore

a friend from my years in germany now lives in colorado springs, colorado...which is a long name to write out when addressing postcards...her street address is also ridicilously long to write out...clearly the people who are on the naming committee don't think about the length of names when they make them up...j.p. rarely has room to put in her entire address when she orders something online...
when i originally booked the tickets to colorado springs, everything seemed great...just a few days later a massive wildfire was burning up waldo canyon, and parts of colorado springs were evacuated...i had serious concerns as to whether this visit would even happen, especially after seeing photos online of huge flames and smoke coming over the front range...fortunately the weather cooperated after a few days, and firefighters did a great job of containment...

anywho, the cheapest way of getting to colorado springs from toronto involved flying to houston from toronto, then connecting to a flight to colorado springs...yes, i know that's really roundabout...my flight left toronto at 0600, which meant that i needed to be there by 0400, and since buses and such don't run round the clock, i got there around 2300 the night before...it was surprisingly easy for me to stay up the entire night, i didn't get really really really sleepy until just before we boarded the plane...the really really really frustrating part is that planes aren't cleared to depart from toronto until 0630...so why does united airlines schedule a flight at 0600, when that clearly isn't possible?

i was hugely worried that i wouldn't make the connection in houston, but i did...even after i got on the plane in houston, i was worried that my pack wouldn't make the connection...but it did...after arriving in colorado springs i was able to check email and found that united airlines had sent me an email advising that due to the delay in leaving toronto i might not make the connection in houston...even if i'd had a smart phone, when was i supposed to get that email? even if i'd received it in a more timely manner, what good would it have done? at least the airline tried to communicate...that's only one of the problems many people have with airlines these days...another BIG problem is fees, but that's another story...

j.p. picked me up at the airport, and i got my first glimpse of the city...colorado springs doesn't have much height in the buildings...it's a big city, (pop 416,000+ according to the US census bureau in jul 2010) but veeeeeeeeeeery spread out...lots of developed areas with homes...lots of shopping centers...j.p. lives in an area known as old colorado city, which seems very much like a small town...the main street of old colorado city is a touristy little place to walk around...shops with knick knacks and souvenirs, (i know someone out there has always wanted a purse encrusted with rhinestones in the shape of two pistols!!) and chocolate shops and restaurants...
walking along this main street was our first activity...i didn't feel so hot after the flights so walking around was a very good thing to do...j.p. told me colorado springs is located above 6000ft, which means some people don't feel very good when they first get here...(by contrast my hometown is located at 760ft, and i'd just come from toronto, which is at 347ft)...i was hoping my headache and slight nausea were more from traveling in general and being dehydrated...i ended up buying cupcakes and chocolate truffles during this walk...visiting friends is not good for my waistline!! aaaaaagh...

after picking up a couple videos from a local public library (the whole thing was entirely self serve, from reserving the videos, to picking them up, to checking them out: j.p. didn't interact with anyone at the library) we went back to her flat and relaxed a bit...i love relaxing...i don't need to be busy all the time, whether i'm traveling in a foreign country, or visiting friends around the states...
then we went to a yoga class...since moving here, j.p. has become certified as a yoga instructor, which i think is awesome...j.p. also teaches zumba...i got to take part in this yoga class...the studio calls it hot power fusion...it's hot yoga, but not the traditional bikram you might be thinking about...they use some of the poses from bikram, but not all, and do them in more of a vinyasa flow style...it was only my second yoga class ever (the first was in pokhara, nepal, with layna, during the epic asia trip) so i was a bit nervous, especially because it was going to be in a hot room...as we drove to the studio, i still didn't feel very good...

i'm pretty sure that cars with good shock systems and good roads make me far more motion sick than old cars and pot holey roads...a smooth ride almost always makes me feel terrible...ugh
i did a lot better than i expected with the yoga class...prior to the class i really was expecting to have to run out in mid class, feeling faint...but that didn't happen at all...i never even got to the point of feeling really hot...at the hottest time, it was 41C (106F)...it feels the same as a day in vegas currently, or the heat index in chicago and toronto! (that being said, i don't see myself doing yoga outside in either of those cities with that heat)...during the class it was reinforced that i have zero balance on land, i'm not fit, and i'm not nearly as strong as i should be...i walked out of the class feeling a LOT better than when i walked in...maybe the sweat just helped get the bad stuff (whateva that may be) out of my system...
after dinner i managed to stay awake all the way until 2200...(which is midnight where i'd just come from)...then i crashed...hard...some people might have seen me when i get to this point in tiredness...i can barely walk straight, and i can't think at all...it was a good night of sleep...

after a lazy wakeup and breakfast the next morning, we drove to a place called garden of the gods...it's a national natural landmark...it's free!!! in the basic history of the place, a man named charles elliot perkins bought the land now known as the garden of the gods in 1879...approximately 280 acres...over the years he purchased additional acreage...he built just one house on the land, and opened the area to the public...i don't know of many people who would have anything worth seeing on their personal property, but the garden of the gods is special...
it's an area of natural sandstone formations...it's beautiful...red sandstone coming out of the ground...oen of the rocks is white sandstone, which really sticks out in contrast to the red...there are a number of walking trails through the area, small carparks in various spots, and amazing sandstone formations everywhere...it would be amazing for early morning and late evening walks, the area is just gorgeous...

when perkins died, the property went to his kids, and they knew what his dreams were, so they gifted the property to the city, with a few conditions...no alcohol is to be served on the area, and it should always have free admission...a foundation takes care of it all...there is a visitors center, which is where j.p. and i started our visit, by picking up a map...you can buy knickknacks here too, as well as at the trading post...(i bought my postcards at the trading post, as we left)...
after the garden of the gods and getting petrol (the car had started beeping at us) we had lunch at a brewery...colorado is well known for its microbrewery culture...i wish i could partake!
from lunch we drove to the academy...the air force academy, which is located just north of city limits...one of several military academies in the country, it opened to new cadets in 1954...(way after the other two majour military academies in the country)...the academy is a tourist destination, the most popular man made place in colorado...(how many people come to colorado for man made places?)

we started by parking at the visitors center, and walking around reading the different placards with information about the academy...it's history, famous graduates, requirements for entry, (it's not easy to be offered admission, and your four years as a cadet will be challenging) cadet life, and more...the gift shop is the same as any other college gift shop...heaps of hoodies, sweatshirts, socks, t-shirts, etc...keychains, postcards, pencils, water bottles, etc...all with USAFA written on them...it doesn't take a genius to figure out what i bought...
from the visitors center we walked along a short path to the chapel...

in terms of tourism, this chapel is why people come to the academy...it's unique, and from the outside, if you don't know it's a chapel, you'd never figure it out...it's also unique in that it's the only religious structure with places for four different faiths under one roof...protestants, buddhists, catholics, and jews, all have separate rooms in which to worship...it's hard to describe the chapel, my photo will have to be enough...notice that there are 17 spires...the original plan was for 21, though money ran out before that was possible...i've forgotten what the 21 would stand for, though j.p. did tell me...with 17 spires, the joke is that they stand for the 12 disciples and the 5 members of the joint chiefs of staff...

the first area most people enter is the protestant area...it's the largest area...it's beautiful inside...you wouldn't know it from the outside, but there is a lot of stained glass, therefore a lot of colour on the inside...it feels warm, and comfortable...if you pay attention, the air force theme is prevalent everywhere...the podium where the chaplain stands is even called the rocket ship...when you see it, this makes total sense...from the protestant chapel, we also looked in the catholic chapel, and the rooms for buddhists, and jews...the jewish area currently has a display of a torah that survived the holocaust...amazing...
the chapel is on an area elevated above other parts of the academy...we were able to look down on the terraza (terrazo?) and watch some of the activities going on...for most college students, this is summer break...but if you're a cadet at the air force academy, you're already back in school...freshman (1st year) or doolies (sp?) as they're called at the academy report at the beginning of july-ish) for 6 weeks of basic training...

they're split into 40 squadrons, they spend all four years with the same squadron...when they report for basic training, the only older folks they know are some of the leaders in their squadron...after basic training, when the regular school year is about to start, they meet everyone else in their squadron...everything is done with your squadron...intramural sports, living in the same area of the dorms, etc...while watching the terrazo we could see cadets singing/shouting/saying cadence while marching...we could see another group doing pushups...
j.p. also told me which buildings were the dorms, which is the academic building, and the uses of everything else i could see...the school has over 4000 cadets, and the majority of their college life takes place in a relatively small area...that being said, cadets at the air force academy have a very unique college experience...a combination of leadership training, classroom work, military training, etc...on the way out i did my best to take a photo of a large section of the academy...

from the academy we drove to manitou...a small (population 5000ish) town close to colorado city...it was established as a tourist town, and still is a tourist town...when it was first established as a town, visitors came to partake of the natural springs in the area...there are still 7 springs in the town, the water is very drinkable...it's supposed to be good for you...now the town is simply a cute place for people to visit for a few hours...cute shoppes, restaurants, etc...
j.p. had found a town tour we could take, so we showed up at the historic centre at 1730...we turned out to be the only people on the tour, yippee!! our guide showed us old buildings in the city, and told us their history...she took us to each of the springs, we got to taste them all...(there was only one i didn't particularly like, though i'm not sure i could say exactly why)...

she told us about the people who had founded the city, and why...most original residents were tuberculosis sufferers who had been advised by their doctors to come here for the clean, dry air...they stayed after they got well)...she told us about some of the geology of the area, and how it has affected the history of the town...i never knew there were so many types of limestone!
after the tour, we had dinner, and drove home...i crashed again...
the next morning we got up a bit earlier, though it was still a nice lazy wakeup...(i woke up early, as i always seem to do, but it's sooooo nice when you don't have to get out of bed)...

this time we got out the door a good two hours earlier than the day before...
our first destination of the day: pike's peak...to get there we needed to take the cog wheel train from manitou springs...depending on the time of year, there are several departure times for this train...each departure time has a corresponding time of arrival back in manitou, you don't get to spend much time at the peak...while i don't know the official reasons for this, i'm assuming two reasons: one, it isn't warm up there...while it was
approximately 85F in colorado springs, it was 43F at the top of pike's peak...and two, there is a large elevation gain (over 7000ft) during the train ride...most people wouldn't do well if they stayed at the higher altitude for very long...altitude sickness can be ugly, but if you don't stay at the altitude for long, you aren't as likely to feel any of it's effects...

our desired train left at 0920...the train is old, or at least the system is old...120 years i think? there has never been a majour accident in those years, which is pretty impressive...the train was originally built/designed because getting to the top of pike's peak and back down was a 3 day trip on muleback...the terrain is steep, therefore highly uncomfortable...the steepest grade of the rails is 25%, which is crazy...when the train is at that grade, our conductor said that the first train car was 3 floors higher than the last car in the train...whoa...as the train ascended, the conductor told us various tidbits about the history of the area, as well as the geology of what we could see...interesting...
we got to the top and enjoyed clear weather...i think that means we could see 5 states...since i have very little sense of direction, i don't know which direction i should've been looking for each of those states...i climbed around on the rocks a bit, having fun with the camera...at one point i was quite out of breath, the air really is thinner up there!! fun fact: the song "america the beautiful" was written after the author had been inspired at the top of pike's peak...on the ride back down, i dozed for a while, waking up when we were close to the bottom...i really felt the difference in temperatures...

lunch in manitou, then over to a canyon/sight called seven falls...it's a waterfall at the end of a canyon, the waterfall has seven layers...each layer is a different type of waterfall, i had no idea there were different types until i read the signs...very pretty...there are two ways to see the scenery...one, take an in-mountain elevator up to what they call the eagle's nest for a view of the waterfall as a whole...(or you can walk up the stairs to this viewpoint)...just a little bit down the canyon you get to climb 200+ stairs to the top of the waterfall...when you get to the top of that you're at a trailhead, which takes you to a couple scenic lookouts...seven falls is privately owned, with the original owner having been a homesteader...the current owner is the person who built the ladders and trails that allow people to explore...

one of the lookout points is called inspriation point...up there you can see a memorial to helen hunt (a writer who later became an activist for the rights of native americans who hadn't been treated well by the government)...the lookout didn't really inspire me, but it was lovely...
after seven falls we went back to j.p.'s flat, showered and changed into dresses for our evening event...a rodeo!!! i'd never before been to a rodeo...a quintessential american activity...i think most of the events came about from the days of 'cowboys of the west'...going to a rodeo means country music, boots, cowboy hats, and large belt buckles...rodeos and the people who participate/attend regularly are a culture all their own...we saw horse riding, steer roping, barrel racing, bronc busting, etc...it was definitely a moment of: "i'm not in europe anymore!!!"...colorado springs is home to several military bases, so soldiers and airmen were honoured at various points during the event...i don't know how i feel about the treatment of animals in a rodeo, so i'm not sure i'll go again, but i am glad i saw it once...
the next morning j.p. drove me to the airport at the ridiculously early hour of 0345...the airport has free wifi:)...i wish all airports worked that way...check in was easy and quick, the security people professional...

canada: a new kid

when i was in the states in 2008 i went to visit my friend brooke in 2008...she'd moved to toronto after leaving korea, which was where we met...(we actually worked together at two different schools)...this time i wanted to visit brooke again, partly because she has a new baby boy...(he's not that new, he's 7 months old now)...there are things to see and do in toronto, but i haven't ever really done any of them...each time i've visited, it's just about spending time with brooke...
they picked me up from the airport, and we went back to her flat...when we arrived at the flat, i got my first chance to see the baby...(he was asleep in the carseat when i got in the car at the airport, and i'm not silly enough to wake up a sleeping baby just to say hello, nice to meet you)...he has a beautiful smile, and no fear...(i'm sure this will be a trait his parents just love in a few years:)...i held him, he smiled, i fell  in love:)...who doesn't love a kid who babbles all the time? sometimes it seemed as though he really thought he was saying something...

the baby has easily reached all his milestones, and is currently becoming competent at pulling himself up to standing by using furniture and hands...he can't stand on his own yet, he hasn't quite figured out how to work his feet to make this happen...he's a speedy crawler, and doesn't stay still very often...
during my days in toronto, we walked a lot, which i loved...brooke loves walking as much as i do, yahoo!! neither one of us thinks anything of a 3 hour walk...of course, with the baby, you have to think about going inside from time to time, stopping for a while in a park, (there seem to be small parks all over the city,) feeding the baby, changing the baby...we still did a lot of walking, but this time with all these considerations...everyone loves the baby, he gets a lot of attention whereva he goes...as we went through various neighbourhoods of the city brooke would describe them too me...who lives there, old or new, expensive, rundown, yuppie, hippie, etc...in all of the neighborhoods there were heaps of unique restaurants, stores, fashion, etc...toronto is such a mix of people...languages, cultures, etc...

we also shopped...i had a couple places i wanted to go while in canada, mac, and lululemon...both of those started out as canadian brands, though i think they're both american owned now...brooke also helped me pick out a couple dresses...i don't often have occasion to wear them, but i love them, and booke has great taste...despite having a baby and being busy with him all the time, brooke still knows what is going on in the fashion world...yay!!
we ate great food, as brooke is a bit of a foodie...she isn't a snob about food, but she knows where to find good food...and she wants others to experience it as well...my favourite place was a bakery/ice cream shop...we got to choose the ingredients for our custom made ice cream sandwiches...i had a sugar cookie with raspberry sorbet...there were three other types of cookies, and heaps of flavours of ice cream...
we also ate mexican food, and korean food...that's the first korean food i've had in ages...(i don't know if it even exists in ukraine, but if so, i'd bet it isn't nearly spicy enough)

one night we went to see the movie magic mike...the acting was...um...not good...the storyline was also sorely lacking...but those aren't the reasons i wanted to see the movie...i enjoyed the scenery:)
the last day we went to a place called sugar beach...a man made beach, though you can't get into the water from this beach...the umbrellas are cotton candy pink, and there are white beach chairs all over...it was relaxing and comfortable when we visited, i'm sure it's packed on weekends...the baby stayed on the blanket for a while, then got curious about our neighbors, much to their amusement...
the next time i visit brooke, it's likely that the baby will be walking and talking...i can't wait!!

stateside: chicago

Arriving in the states for the first time in nearly 2.5 years seemed overwhelming, as usual...(this is the 2^{nd time i've been away that long)...i flew into chicago, my friends kelley and jon picked me up at the airport...my flight left kyiv just after noon, i landed in chicago around 8 in the evening...since the flights were all day, i tried my best to stay awake the entire time, though i usually tend to sleep quite a bit on flights...i figured if i stayed awake the entire time, i'd be able to go to sleep on chicago time, and get my body onto chicago time asap...}
kelley knew i needed some food and toiletries, (and she knows i love supermarkets – yes, i'm wierd) so she took me to a supermarket and a cvs pharmacy...who knew there were so many choices for so many objects? I haven't really had so many choices in a while, i was overwhelmed...who needs ten different brands to choose from when it comes to face wash? And within each brand there are more choices...eeeeek!! i loved the supermarket too, i loaded up on fresh produce...

the next night kelley and jon made dinner plans with magan and eric, a couple i met during the ireland trip...it was great to see them again, and catch up on the past year...we met at a ptzza joint famous for chicago deep dish pizza...lou malnatis...i'm guessing a lot of people in the states (chicago, anywho) would recognize the name...tasty pizza, though really filling...

that was saturday evening...sunday afternoon a storm hit the chicago area, and knocked out power for a while...the storm didn't last long, but there was some hail, and very strong winds...tree branches were down everywhere...kelley used to work in insurance, and as she said, a storm like this one would've meant a whole LOT of overtime for the next couple weeks...their house didn't get power again until more than two days later...

if it had been may, this wouldn't have been such a big problem...but it was july, and it was HOT...the heat index was around 110F, and kelley and jon have a dog named meatball...meatball doesn't love that kind of heat, to say the least...we all stayed in the house sunday evening, but by monday afternoon it was too hot for the dog, (and us, to be honest)...kelley and jon's friend andrew (whom i also met on the ireland trip) volunteered to take all of us, so off we went for the evening...meatball and andrew are great friends; kelley, jon, and i are just tolerated:)

the next day (tuesday?) i went to work with kelley, at one of her library branches...i spent the entire time on a computer, buying plane tickets...not too long before her shift was over, my friend laura (whom i met in korea, during my first years there) picked me up...

laura and i went back to her flat, then took the train into the city to an area called bucktown...if anyone reading this is from chicago, you'll know this name...since i'm not from the area, i haven't a clue where it is...apparently it's a trendy neighborhood? Chicago has a good public transport system, though to someone who doesn't live here, it's rather confusing...transfering from one train line to another isn't always straightforward...fortunately, laura knew where to go...

we ate dinner at a pub, then wandered around bucktown...at one point i got distracted by a display counter, and found red velvet cupcakes:)...yum...laura doesn't have the same sweet tooth i do (does anyone?) but she knows how i get about my sweets...i know i don't really need to be eating things like red velvet cupcakes, but i also know that after this summer it could be quite a while before that's even a possibility again...

laura got me on the right train back to kelley and jon's suburb, kelley picked me up at the station...(i dozed off on the train for a while, when i woke up i was seriously concerned i'd missed the stop...fortunately i woke up just in time)...

the next day was 4 july...independence day for my country...i had wanted to go somewhere, or do something, but it was hot...the heat index was something around 115F...not at all fun to even think about going outside...so we didn't...we relaxed all day, not doing much...

the next morning jon drove me to the airport, for my first set of visits...