Apollo and Kythoni

I'm writing on behalf of a good friend of mine in Uganda. Most of you reading this know his story and have already volunteered to help him out. There are some updates however and for those of you who don't know about Apollo, I'll give a quick summary.

I met Apollo in Uganda when I spent a couple of months there a couple of years ago. When he and I met, he was working for a great organization called CURE International at a pediatric neurosurgical hospital in Mbale as a peds physical therapist. In Uganda, the PT program, although its nearly equivalent to a four year physical therapy program in the States skills-wise, is a three year certificate program and not a bachelors degree. Apollo would like to get a Master's in public health but can't do that until he has an official BS or BA. Initially, we were working on getting him into a University in the States but it was simply too much money and didn't really make much sense for what he wants to do. I encouraged him to look for other opportunities in Uganda and he has been admitted to and enrolled in the Islamic University. He started on August 6th and is working towards a Bachelor's degree in Health Services Management on the weekends, a requirement by the Ministry of Health so that he can go on to obtain his MPH. If you want to know more about his story, please ask me or I'm sure he'd be happy to talk to you directly. That fact that he is alive and has achieved what he has is pretty incredible given the fact that he grew up in Northern Uganda during the time of the Lord's Resistance Army. Most of his friends and family were murdered and Apollo has a heart to help those who have suffered in that area to be rehabilitated (physically and mentally) and currently works in the Gulu area, helping, among other things, to relocate families back to their land. He recently married and thus is supporting his new wife as well as his sister in school.

The breakdown of his expenses are as follows:

School fees, books etc. $2103
Travel (from Gulu to Mbale) for the semester: $760
Room to rent for the weekends: ?

If you'd like to help, let me know. My family started a non-profit called Kythoni, Inc in order to continue to do the work we've been doing in Haiti and elsewhere. I'll write more about that later but I'm mentioning now because this is who you can make checks out to for Apollo and send them to:

Kythoni, Inc
P.O. Box 12724
Wilmington, NC 28405

If you'd rather just transfer the funds to my PayPal account, you can do that to as I will be eventually transferring the funds to Apollo's account in Uganda.

Joshua Trees

My beach doggy

Ventura!

June 13, 2011

I’ve been instructed to finish writing about my roadtrip; apparently I have followers. I actually had no idea but thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read these ramblings. Except for Mom and Dad…. You have to because I’m your daughter and you love me.
Before I get into it, I just wanted to say that when I woke up yesterday morning, after a good night’s sleep, I had a new appreciation for the Joshua Trees, not Joshua Tree the place, but the Joshua trees. As I mentioned, there were a bunch right outside the hotel and when I took Gheera out to pee, I noticed that many of them looked like they were dancing or standing with their families and holding hands or gesturing to something. THAT was really cool. I’ll post some photos of those ones. Try and use your imagination…
I arrived in Ventura, safely obviously, yesterday. The drive from Yucca Valley seemed to take a lot longer (in some sense) than it actually was, but not long enough in other ways. I felt myself getting more and more nervous as I grew closer to my new home but also very excited. (Probably part of the reason I was nervous was because the wind was so strong the beginning of the drive (this is a place where they actually have a gazillion windmills to generate power I guess), that it made my car handle like the hovercraft in Diddy Kong Racing. There are probably only a couple of people who know what I’m talking about but it was like that, only more scary because I was actually in the vehicle. Made it through though. When I arrived, I immediately fell in love with this house, my new room, the yard, the short walk to the beach. Julie, Kevin and Julie’s parents (I know they’re stoked they came this particular week) stopped by to help me unload the car. I was really grateful because I had to load it myself when I was still in NC and that was not fun. A couple of hours later my new little family came home, Maddy (14), Alex (9) and their mom Cynthia. I’m in love. They are all so wonderful. Cynthia, Alex and I walked down to the beach to watch the sunset. Cynthia encouraged me to let Gheera off the leash and said that people are totally cool about that here. I was a little hesitant but once I gave her her freedom, I discovered she was made to be a beach dog (see the video posted above) just like her mama. So happy to be here!

Gheera peering over the edge

Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell

Hot pink cane

June 12, 2011

Ventura today… finally! I’m sitting in bed eating my continental breakfast muffin from the hotel, drinking a cup of crappy coffee as I have nearly every morning for the past two and a half weeks. I know once I get into the grind at the hospital I will miss this, maybe even miss the desert… We shall see. Gheera gave up eating her food once I walked in with my plate of unhealthy pastries and has been staring at me for the past half hour in a creepy way from the floor. Now she’s moved to the bed and is staring across my lap at the plate on the night stand. I really don’t think she realizes she is not a human.

Speaking of humans, I have met some really, really sweet people on this trip. AND I stopped taking my surfboards off my car at night two days into the journey and no one has stolen them. (It was too much of a hassle.) My faith in humanity has been effectively restored. This morning was lovely when the stout Indian man at the front desk who had told me all about his daughter and her having just graduated high school and wanting to go to nursing school last night smiled at me excitedly when I walked into the breakfast area and asked how I slept. So precious! It is amazing how much a quick smile and genuine “good morning” can change your whole day. I wonder if that man knows how much that meant to me. I would definitely stay at this cheap Motel 8 again simply because of him.

This is a good time to transition to my story about Carol and her hot pink cane in Hurricane, Utah. This woman was an absolute trip and I’m pretty sure I may have been the only person to step in that visitor center in days. She spoke with a steady stream of consciousness and there were stretches of 5 to 10 minutes at a time where I wouldn’t have been able to get a word in if I’d wanted to, not that I wanted to; she was hilarious and did fine carrying the conversation on her own. There were three times that I had my fingers on the handle of the door to try to escape and she managed to lure me back into her lair with some new random story about the type of moccasins she felt that Jesus probably wore, based on a pair that was unearthed from 700 AD in that valley or something about where I should visit when I come back to Utah, and how the state has “more national parks than any other state in the union.”

This all started when my innocent self popped in to see if there was some place in the near vicinity I could check out for about an hour. When I asked her if there was anything cool to see, she asked how much time I had. I told her when I wanted to make it to Vegas by and she said, “No,” starred at me a second and just shook her head. For a moment it kind of weirded me out and I thought, oh man this women may be completely socially awkward; I need to get out of here fast, but that all quickly changed.

Short, fat and probably in her mid to late seventies, Carol’s very stubby grey and white peppered hair definitely gave the appearance that she gives herself haircuts. It was sticking up everywhere, one inch in some places, half an inch and everywhere in between in others. Her glasses hung from a beaded chain around her neck and her pink outfit matched her even more pink cane. She began to talk about her favorite places in Utah (she has two) but not before she asked me for what reason I was moving to California. “Are you gonna be an OB too?” she questioned after I explained residency. I told her I would like to have that as a part of my family medicine practice, yes. Well that opened a can of worms as she began to explain all about her OB and her c-section and how much she loved that man and about her epidural and how he didn’t understand how bad that headache hurt because he was a man but then years later, he called to apologize for not being more sympathetic because he had to get an epidural for some surgery and had the worst headache of his life and how she ran into him in the hospital when her son’s wife was giving birth but he was very old at that point and no longer practicing medicine and therefore couldn’t do her daughter-in-law’s delivery but in general, women OBs are better because women understand women’s bodies. It is amusing to me how people feel so comfortable divulging all of their medical history once they discover you are in the medical field. I heard more, trust me, but I will spare you the details.

So favorite place number one for Carol is a ghost town which is currently uninhabited but has gone through many cycles over the course of its history. Now it is owned by some company in the film industry and is used as a movie set for western scenes. Apparently part of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was filmed there. She said it’s just a really cool town and definitely worth the visit; I was convinced. Grafton is its name. It was much later in my time there, many conversation topics later, when I remembered she never told me what her second favorite spot is. I asked her and she simply said “Canyon lands.” I’m not exactly sure what she meant by that since I saw canyons all around in a bunch of different states but I will do some research. She then showed me a calendar of photos taken at Mesa Verde, something else she is particularly excited about.

After more random topics and calendars maps and books and artifacts, I finally (after my third attempt) made it out the door but she was still talking in the doorway as I walked down the ramp, asking me more questions. In response I told her I was traveling with my dog; she asked what kind and told me all about her shiatsu/Maltese mix, but instead of pronouncing it “shit-zu,” she said “sit-chu,” I think because she didn’t want to say the “shit” part. She also asked me what my faith is after I mentioned something about “my church.” I told her, “Um, protestant I guess, Christian… I don’t know, I just love the Lord.” She smiled and told me that that was wonderful and when she started job at the center they asked her if she was Mormon and she said, “Well why does that matter? Are you going to be teaching religion here?” She never told me if she is indeed LDS but eluded to it (this town was originally settled by those of Mormon faith so it wouldn’t surprise me; I imagine there is a huge LDS population there). She proceeded to explain that she believes God is inside all of us. She also showed me a painting in the museum, huge, that depicted Jesus with some sheep, holding a staff. She instructed me to walk past it, watching Jesus’ eyes, absolutely enthralled by the fact that the artist had painted it in such a way that if you keep your eyes, on His, they follow you as you walk. It was true! The same with his feet; they are pointed at you wherever you stand. She was absolutely delighted.

As I finally walked off she told me to tell my dog that she loves her; she explained that she loves all dogs and whether or not a person loves dogs tells a lot about that person. Her daughter-in-law does not and she is an “ornery” woman. Carol’s shiatsu/ maltese mix doesn’t like her daughter-in-law at all and dogs are a good judge of character. I smiled to myself, wondering if she told her daughter-in-law all this, waved goodbye and promised that if I return to Hurricane, Utah, I will come visit her.

Desert, desert, desert

June 11, 2011

Get me out of the desert! I’m so over it right now. I mean, Joshua Tree was cool and all but they don’t allow dogs on the trials so all I got to do today was drive through this highly acclaimed national park, which did not make me happy. I may need to come back when I’m in better spirits and not dying to get to Ventura but I paid $15 to drive through more desert, and I’ve been driving through desert for over a week now. I need green. And there are Joshua trees outside my hotel window here in the Yucca Valley and I don’t have to pay to look at them. (Kind of true… my parents did pay for this hotel room. Thank you again Mom and Dad! )

So I’ll write about yesterday and today in a second but first I wanted to mention the top 10 things I would have done differently for this trip as I was contemplating them in my several hours in the car today.

1. Bring someone with me next time. Kind of lonely!
2. Don’t leave random things behind in the hotel room. Put everything in one place if you must. Gheera, I am very sorry for forgetting your dog bowls and food. And now I have to buy new glasses (unless they’re buried in my car somewhere.)
3. Speaking of things buried, next time I must remember to put the rum somewhere more accessible.
4. Grocery shopping before I start the trip is necessary; need to buy in bulk! I’ve spent way too much money on gummy worms, chex mix, Starbucks bottled frappucinos, etc. I’m afraid to add it up.
5. Don’t depend solely on the navigation system on my phone. Maps are your friend.
6. If I decide I want to see Page, the Grand Canyon, Four Corners and hit up Vegas again, it should go in this order: Four Corners, Page, Grand Canyon THEN Vegas. There is no telling how many hours and miles I added onto my trip by doing Grand Canyon before Page. Still mad about that.
7. Speaking of Four Corners, you never need to see that again. Once was enough. Never might even be enough.
8. Do NOT spend more than a few days in the desert. You can’t take it. Find water AND green.
9. Skip Joshua Tree if you have a dog with you.
10. Drink more water.

Page, AZ.
The water made the desert landscape worth it in this place. It was beautiful and definitely worth the stop. Yesterday morning Gheera and I drove just outside of town and hiked ¾ of a mile to Horseshoe Bend, a 270 degree bend in the Colorado River. The beauty of this overlook was (for me) almost as breathtaking as the Grand Canyon. I can’t aptly describe the scene so photos will have to suffice. This landmark was made even more pleasant by the families who were there enjoying it as well. There were no guardrails and the cliffs dropped straight off, the water 1000 feet below. As I sat with my feet dangling over the edge and Gheera lying beside me, I kept overhearing worried parents yelling at their kids to stay away from the edge. One dad was unafraid to give it to his daughter straight up when she asked in a very whiny voice, “Daddy, why won’t you let me walk around?” His response: “Because if you fall off the edge, you will die.” This sweet six year old had asked to pet Gheera a few moments earlier and we ended up walking down the trail toward our respective vehicles at the same time later. I said to her, “I think Gheera likes it when you walk beside her.” Her little legs moved faster so she could keep up with my dog. She, very seriously, asked me, “Can you speak dog?” I heard her parents cracking up behind me but I managed to not break a smile and said, “Well, I’m not sure but she listens to me so maybe.” I hope she believes for the rest of her life that some people can “speak dog” because of me. That would be fantastic.

After that we drove toward Glen Canyon Dam and pulled off on a side road that led down towards Lake Powell. We could only drive so far then climbed down some large rocks/cliffs with ripples in them. Once we got down to the shore, Gheera got to be off her leash for awhile (and didn’t run away… what a good girl!) and I was able to dip my feet in water! I felt like I could breathe again. We stayed there awhile, me wading in the water and talking to some other visitors and Gheera trying to drink the water without getting her feet wet. (What a baby huh?) Next we moved on to the Glen Canyon Dam visitor center and strolled across the bridge that runs alongside the Dam. Pretty impressive! I also popped into the visitor center/museum itself and discovered that there is a pretty cool dinosaur that I’ve never heard of whose bones were found there. It’s called a Therizinosaur and was reconstructed using bones found at that site and some modeled replicas to fill in the gaps. Don’t worry, photos coming tomorrow!

We then headed to our next destination, but not without stopping at a few more scenic overlooks to marvel at the beautiful lake in the middle of this desert. My favorite part of the drive so far is the beginning of I-15 South, once I got on the road after I left Page, on our way to Vegas yesterday. It was mostly because of the huge cliffs jutting up on either side of me. It was… majestic. We were pretty much driving through a gorge/canyon, at the bottom. What is the difference between a canyon and a gorge anyway? I’ll have to look that up. This experience was completed by the river running alongside the road. It’s funny how I didn’t feel claustrophobic then but I feel it when I’m surrounded by desert.

On my way to Vegas, I drove through a town called Colorado. Not sure what state it was in because I felt like I kept weaving in and out of Arizona and Utah but, possibly Arizona, maybe Utah. Actually I have no idea. Another thing I could look up but I’m too lazy right now. Anyway, the architecture didn’t fit into the surroundings at all; maybe the fact that it is called Colorado should have prepared me for this. I also passed through Hurricane Valley, which apparently is the “gateway to the parks” but which parks, I do not know. I decided, since I was trying to time my arrival to Vegas to align with Mistie’s return home from work, to stop the little museum/visitor center in the town. This is where I met Carol with the hot pink cane, the probably 70-some year old woman who worked there. I’m going to wait until tomorrow morning to write about Carol; kind of tired tonight and she deserves her own entry. Mistie and I had a lovely and low key evening. She fed me dinner while our dogs tried to work out being in the same house together (which fortunately wasn’t a TOTAL disaster.)

Late this morning I headed to Joshua tree, as I mentioned before, but prior to that, spent a leisurely morning with Mistie, drinking coffee and eating Oaty O’s, a knockoff of Cheerios that she gets a lot of crap for liking. From now on though, I will back her up; they were delicious. She then proceeded to pack me snacks for the road- cheese, crackers, carrots, an apple, a soy peanut butter and plumb jelly sandwich. Love that woman and love spending time with her! So glad I’m going to be living so much closer. The drive from Vegas to Joshua tree was actually quite fun because it required almost no highway driving and only took a little over three hours. I passed through the Mohave preserve and drove on roads that were fairly straight (through the desert of course) but snaked up and down like the back of what I imagine the Loch Ness monster to be like, sort of similar to a little roller coaster. My favorite sign was the one that read “watch for tortoise.” I guess they only have one, but he must frequent the roadways there. Joshua Tree itself wasn’t as awesome to me as people led me to believe but maybe it was just built up way too much and, this is probably pretty naive but I had never seen a Joshua Tree before and had a different picture in my head, and it involved much more shade.

A few more Grand Canyon photos.

Grand Canyon Video

You can't really see all the stunning colors but you get the idea...

The one, the only, the absolutely breathtaking... GRAND CANYON

Wow. That is the best word to sum up today I think. I haven’t been to the Grand Canyon since 6th grade, on the family camping trip “out west.” I remember, as a 6th grader on a camping trip out west with her entire family, not being too impressed with this so called “grand” canyon. I don’t know what it was; mostly I recall getting sick of walking and not wanting to move one more step. What a moron! Today was absolutely breathtaking, literally. I couldn’t stop staring and felt like my breath was taken away. Then I overheard a woman talking about how she was also having trouble breathing, probably because of the altitude, and I realized that, most likely, this was my deal as well. Still, it was absolutely beautiful, and even on my way out, I kept pulling over the car to get out and look some more. I’d like to believe it just simply took my breath away. Yes, Grand Canyon, you deserve to be one of the seven wonders of the world. My words are inadequate in this instance so I think I’ll just let you look at the photos.

I said before that I was going to talk about Williams a little bit. It’s a quaint town, the gateway to the Grand Canyon. It’s along historic route 66 (and one of the only places with a pet friendly hotel, which, thanks to Mom’s research is how I ended up there). I enjoyed walking along Main Street, which is in fact Route 66, even bought a t-shirt. I asked the guy at the store the best café in town, so that I could get something light to eat and a cup of coffee last night. I ended up, at his suggestion, at the Pine Country Restaurant. It was okay, but definitely worth the stop so that I could observe the locals, an ethnographic study of sorts and VERY good people watching. I had no idea women still wore their hair like that.

Back to the Grand Canyon though. Gheera and I walked along the South Rim for a few hours today once we got going. She, as usual, was a big hit. A lovely Chinese woman asked to pet her in broken English and then asked if it was okay to feed her cookies. I said yes, interested in what she considered a cookie, and she pulled some kind of gourmet crackers out of her purse. Gheera was her new best friend; she just kept feeding her until I pulled the dog away. Both parties were reluctant to leave one another; I felt like this woman had just suffered the greatest disappointment of her life. She kept telling me over and over again how much she loves dogs. Just prior to that, a sweet three or four year old little blond boy asked if he could pet her. I don’t know if the kid had food on his face or was just the right height but Gheera kept giving him kisses. He didn’t like that very much and told me that he didn’t really like my dog, and definitely didn’t like his backpack. He informed me that HIS dog didn’t give kisses and certainly didn’t wear a backpack. Yet, when he had to go, he seemed sad to leave sweet little Bagheera.

The drive from the South Rim to Page, AZ, which is where we are now, was a stunning one. The canyons and rock formations and painted deserts (not THE painted desert but they looked that way just the same) were amazing. And I especially loved the parts of the road carved out in the rock so that huge red walls towered over me and my little 4Runner on either side. I’m excited to check out Page and Lake Powell tomorrow. Right now, I’m stuffed and sleepy. I ate at a Mexican restaurant in town called “Fiesta,” which I HIGHLY recommend. Supposedly, according to the girls at the front desk of this hotel, it was named the best restaurant in Arizona. It lived up to its name and the service was absolutely fantastic. If you go, try the enchiladas ranchero.

Green vs. Brown

June 9, 2011

It is such a strange feeling to be homesick but not have any idea of where “home” is right now. I’ve left one place and have not yet arrived to the next. But then again, this is also a familiar feeling, sort of lonely, unsettled, probably a result of traveling so much, of spending so much time in Haiti over the past five years and desiring to be there full time. Maybe it is also something that we are supposed to feel to some extent. After all, God lets us know through the Bible that this world is not our home and I believe that. This feeling of homesickness now, however, is definitely exacerbated by the lack of green that I’ve seen the past few days, even the past week.

Yesterday I spent about 10 hours driving. Toas, NM to Williams, AZ via Four Corners. I felt like I was searching for some kind of oasis in the desert, like in the Land Before Time. Ever see that movie? This has only served to further my conviction that green is by far my favorite color, for a lot of reasons but one is that for me, it signifies life. Anyway, yesterday I kept looking for green stuff. I did drive through one patch in New Mexico, after driving along the gorge again and through more desert-like landscape, of evergreens, but it didn’t last long. (I also finally arrived in a national forest last night but had to wait a long time for that happening.) One cool thing on the drive though is that the landscape was constantly changing and there were these rock formations that seemed to pop out of nowhere; I’m sure they all have names. Many looked kind of like watchtowers and, as my imagination was working overtime in my semi-boredom, I figured that God decided to build them intentionally in otherwise flattened land, some kind of structure so that people could look out over everything and enjoy His creation, or a place for the angels to sit, keep watch and keep us safe.

I did make my way to Four Corners, which, by the way, is totally not worth the detour. The last time (and only other time) I was there was when I was much younger, 6th grade. My family did a three week camping trip out to San Francisco and back. I believe it was night time when we drove through because I remember Dad waking us up to see if we wanted to check it out. I think I climbed sleepily out of the car but it’s a vague memory, almost like a dream, and I remember it looking a lot different, maybe because it was dark. A guy that was there yesterday though said that all the shops/stalls that surrounded the monument on all four sides didn’t used to be there and before, you could easily stand on the spot where your body is in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado all at the same time and see miles and miles in any direction. Now the venders block the view and it is not so beautiful. Gheera and I strolled in a gigantic circle around the stalls and decided that the view into Colorado was the best, mostly because I could see green on the mountains in the distance and everything else in every other direction was brown. I don’t like brown.

On the detour, I did, however, get to see two more tumble weeds, these ones of a much larger variety than before. As I mentioned the landscape did change several times throughout the course of the drive; hopefully you can see that in the photos I just uploaded. I do wish that I had another person with me to share this trip with, but the good thing is that being the only driver forces you to stay awake and see EVERYTHING. The scenery eventually changed to include real desert sands. The way the wind moved those sands made it look almost like dunes at the beach, those ripples. And if I really used my imagination, I could make believe that the short stubby desert foliage was the type of long grass that anchors the dunes at the beach. I miss the coast.

A lot of questions came up yesterday too. I wonder if the people who lived in those scattered houses along my drive ever go to green places. And if they did, would they wish for the brown the way I wish for the green or would they like it better and not want to return to the desert? Also, how long does it take the kids to get to school? Does everyone go to school? I could look around at times and see for miles and not see signs of another human being. I longed to see houses on my drive; it made me a little less lonely. There were stretches of two hours at a time where I got no cell phone signal. I have learned a lot about myself on this trip. One of those things is that I like to at least have the option of being around other people.

Another thing I noticed when I stopped to photograph something beautiful on the side of the road, like the lake I passed yesterday or the rock formations, the coal mine, even Four Corners, is that it is very still, no birds or anything. I don’t know if it is because the wind carries the sound away (the wind is something I could not deal with by the way and with the surf boards on the top of the car, it was especially buffeting my 4Runner around; it also kicked up sand into cyclones which, after all the tornadoes lately that have claimed so many lives in the past few months, made me very nervous as I had visions of my car being lifted up and tossed around) but the only other time I’ve experienced such stillness is when I was hiking in the foothills of the Rockies with Lindi and Ryen several Thanksgivings ago when they were living in Ft. Collins, CO. It is so quiet but I think stillness is the best way to describe it. I did see a sign for “sheep 4 sale” and thought about buying one but then I realized that it wouldn’t fit in the front seat of the car with Gheera. I also might have started having hallucinations because I swear at some point I saw a sign that said “dinosaur tracks ahead” but then I didn’t see any. Bummer.

Last night I finally came to my destination: Williams, AZ, the gateway to the Grand Canyon. I will try to write about that later today when I get to Page but for now, heading to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and very ready to see more beautiful things.

The Bridge, Pueblo and Ice Cream Bus

Taos, New Mexico

June 8, 2011
Yesterday I started feeling claustrophobic, actually, probably two days ago but it got particularly bad as I started my drive to Taos. I figured out that I really need to be on a coast. I mean, I knew that before, which is why I’m totally stoked to be doing residency in Ventura but when I’m not near water, I feel like I’m drowning, or at least like the vast expanse of land is closing in around me and going to swallow me up whole. Okay maybe that is a bit dramatic but seriously, the beginning of that drive was miserable. Until…

I finally reached the part of the road to Taos which winds along the Rio Grande Gorge and river. Gheera and I made frequent stops; it was beautiful and it was water. I wish I had had time to do some kayaking (I wonder if they would have let Gheer-face in the boat; it would have been pure torture for her) but it was fun even just watching people do it. Once we reached Toas we continued through and went to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, which is one of the main points of interest in and around Toas. It was breathtaking. It is so amazing to see perfectly flat land just drop off into a giant abyss. Even Gheera seemed fascinated. The bridge was a little bit scary though once standing on it with the cars causing it to shake beneath us. Oh and I also loved a bus which had been converted into an ice cream shop in the middle of nowhere by that bridge.

Next we journeyed on to Taos Pueblo, which is located three miles north of Taos Plaza (kind of the epicenter of Taos), home to the Taos Pueblo Indians and inhabited for over 1,000 years. I had to pay $6 extra dollars on top of the $10 entry fee to take photos so hope you enjoy. It was pretty cool. The only slight problem was all the dogs roaming around free that either wanted to violate Gheera or bite her face off. It turned out okay though. I’m very proud of her. I did, however, drop her at the hotel to rest while I ventured out around the town, checking out the plaza and the shops. I enjoyed a delectable cup of coffee, an almost white chocolate latte called “minx” at coffee cats and went to dinner at the Alley Cantina on 121 Teresina Lane where I watched love blossom between a short, old Native American gentleman and a Caucasian lady in probably her late 50s with a fake blond pixie cut, massive glasses which magnified her eyes, mildly rotting teeth and a blue backpack with a hello kitty keychain hanging from the zipper. Man I love watching people; they’re so great. I ended my evening out with the purchase of six very expensive truffles from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. I have such a rough life, I felt like I deserved them. (Just kidding!)

This morning not much has happened so far EXCEPT for the little prairie dogs that came out to play in the parking lot while I sat and watched and ate breakfast at the hotel. That actually did make my morning. Now, we’re about to check out and set out to Teec Nos Pos, AZ (four corners) as soon as I upload some more photos. Check ‘em out! This place is beautiful. After that, Grand Canyon!

Lighthouse and Cadillac Ranch

Smoky New Mexico

June 7, 2011

I only got here last night around 9pm and already I am in love with Sante Fe. It doesn’t beat New Orleans; they’re really different actually so it is hard to compare but I absolutely love it, at least at night. I went back this morning and was less impressed by the adobe buildings. I think maybe the novelty wore off quickly… or maybe I’m getting antsy to get to Ventura. Anyway…
So, yesterday morning started out with a hike around Palo Duro Canyon, just about 20 miles south of Amarillo, and a six mile hike to see one of the better known rock formations, the Lighthouse. It was absolutely breathtaking (and hot!) I believe the temperatures climbing to around 100 degrees and as luck would have it, Gheera and I ended up hiking mid-day under the desert sun. There was a nice wind though and don’t worry, I put Gheera’s pack on her and had her carry all the water and snacks, hoping I didn’t get fined/arrested for animal cruelty. I was proud of her. We made it all the way and even got out photo taken together on the top (posted above). We met quite a few people along the trail so it was nice to have some human contact .

Let’s see. After that we headed back to Amarillo and then cut over to Cadillac Ranch on our way out of Texas. I will definitely post photos of that. Someone finished with their can of blue spray paint handed it to me on her way out and I painted “J + B” and drew a heart on the underside of one of the cars to commemorate my love for my dog. (Her full name is Bagheera for those of you who don’t know.)

The drive through the rest of the Texas panhandle and into New Mexico was awesome (although gas stations are spaced a little further apart than was comfortable for me at some point). (Don’t worry though, I made it, without having to hitchhike my way to a gas station). The plains soon gave way to a more desert landscape, complete with (and here comes the most exciting part of the drive) tumbleweeds! At least I think they were tumble weeds. They looked like tumble weeds and they were tumbling. They would come out of nowhere making their way across I-40 and it was all I could do not to brake for them; they startled me every time but also made me a very very happy girl.

I made my way to Albuquerque to check out the city and have dinner. As soon as Gheera and I arrived and got out of the car, I thought, “man this city smells like a campfire.” Pretty soon I realized the sky was darkened with ash and there were pieces of paper and ash flying through the air with the gusty warm winds. Besides that impression, I’d describe the city as colorful, also pretty quiet but I’m not sure if that wasn’t because of the current air quality. Today I finally asked someone at the gas station what the deal is (because it’s still smoky, although improved, up here in Sante Fe, and apparently there have been fires burning in Arizona for the past 4-5 days and the smoke has made its way over here. It was sort of eerie driving from Albuquerque to Sante Fe yesterday evening because it looked like fog had settled over the desert and obscured the mountains and the sun as it set. I still enjoyed the drive as I watched the landscape and the architecture continue to change.

Before checking into the hotel, Gheer-face and I walked around the “downtown” area of Sante Fe. The best word I can think of to describe this quaint city is “enchanting.” I adored it, particularly the plaza area. I took a ton of photos last night and today and the ones at night are so much better. St. Francis Cathedral is absolutely stunning. There was one man playing the guitar for a small group of people and another by himself wailing on the saxophone; both were very talented. This morning I left Gheera at the hotel and went to check out that “miraculous staircase” in Loretto Chapel, an architectural feat accomplished by a “mysterious stranger” as an answer to prayer. I also explored the San Miguel Mission, supposedly the oldest church in the nation, as well walked around the state capitol building and the nation’s oldest house. Check out the link to the left for more photos; I’ll try to get them up tonight. Time to head to Taos!

Horses?

P.S. Maybe someone can tell me what the deal is with all these horses around Amarillo.

Climbing wall

Gheera trying to get a drink

Texas panhandle plains

Everyone told me that the drive through West Texas was going to be long, boring and just plain painful. I have been incredibly and pleasantly surprised. I’m currently in Amarillo and the drive through the panhandle plains has been lovely. Maybe it’s because I’ve never seen landscape like this before so the novelty keeps me interested but I think it is absolutely beautiful. The grassy plains, the railroad track running parallel to the road, the old houses that seem to pop up out of nowhere surrounded by a few twisty trees and perhaps a barn and windmill. I feel like I’m on a movie set, maybe An American Tail: Fieval Goes West or something. I keep waiting for a tumbleweed to go tumbling by.

I’m glad that I’ve spent the amount of time in Texas that I have. It has dismantled [some of] the, not biases really but, enigma that has surrounded this massive state for me. This is the first time I’ve stepped foot in it besides a quick layover at Dallas Ft. Worth. The few days I was able to spend in Dallas with Leilani and Kelley was beautiful. Two days ago, my last full day in Dallas, Leilani took me to an Saturday evening service her church, the Village or something like that, which I really enjoyed and then toured me around the city to show me the different sections, divides and disparities (can you tell we were both Health Behavior and Health Education Master’s students at one point?). South Dallas and Uptown are like night and day. She’s working on a cardiovascular health project through churches in South Dallas so she knows the area well. We went to eat, however, at Manny’s, a true Texmex joint in Uptown. I really love my friends, had a great time with her.

Earlier that day Gheera and I went to White Rock Lake, which is near where I was staying in Garland. It has over nine miles of water front trials. We jogged/walked for awhile but mostly just parked it under a tree by the lake, which Gheera kept trying to drink out of and nearly fell in. (I think I have a good photo to post of that scene.) The only other incident that day was the cop that pulled up next to me at the gas station, rolled down his window and gave me a slightly stern, slightly confused look. I thought I must be doing something wrong (I haven’t had great luck with the police) but what he wanted to know was where the heck I was planning to surf in Dallas, taking note of the boards strapped to the top of my vehicle.

Dallas is a bit overwhelming. I would describe it as sprawling I guess. I couldn’t really get a handle on where the “city center” is. I’ve been thinking about that a lot- how I would describe all the cities I’ve visited thus far. Nashville is very commercial, touristy. Lots of cliché country stuff. Don’t get me wrong; I loved it; that’s just the vibe I got. Memphis was kind of ghetto, which surprised me, but I heard to REAL music there. I really enjoyed it. New Orleans, probably eclectic. (Kelley helped me come up with that based on how I described it to her. I also got a very romantic vibe, kind of similar to when I was in Venice, Italy. New Orleans has been my favorite so far. I was a little disappointed in the music scene though. I think I have to go back because I probably didn’t end up in the right places at the right time. I could have walked all over the place there for days and days through. Baton Rouge was kind of dead when I stopped. I would call that a sleepy city too but sleepy in a different kind of way compared to Amarillo.

Anyway, after arriving in Amarillo, I checked into the hotel and met up with one of Lei’s friends, Ellen, a family medicine resident who is also interested in work in developing countries who has spent some time in Kenya. We went to Texas Roadhouse since most of the local places were closed as it was Sunday night and she told me all about the panhandle and other places I might want to check out here and in New Mexico. It was great to meet her! After that I drove around “downtown” Amarillo. Maybe it was because it was Sunday night but man oh man that place was completely dead. We’ll call it sleepy. There was about one tall building. I did, however, drive along old Route 66 also found a cool climbing wall outside in the shape of a cross.

At Ellen’s suggestion, I’m heading down to Palo Duro Canyon this morning, which is about 20 miles south of here. I’ve never heard of it before but apparently it is massive and second in size only to the Grand Canyon. I’m also going to check out Cadillac Ranch on my way out to Albuquerque and the mysterious staircase once I get to Sante Fe.

Another day in Dallas!

Gheera is becoming a hit with people across the United States… literally. I just met a sweet little girl in the room next door, Taylor. Little blond probably about three or four. I had taken Gheera out to pee and she stopped me and wanted to pet my dog. She asked Bagheera’s name and then questioned me regarding what her REAL name was. In the same breath, Taylor informed me that her real name is Dr. Porkchop. It wasn’t long before I had a whole crowd of kids around me. Gheera was so good, sat and laid down while she was smothered with love and kisses. Oh the life of a dog. Sooo jealous.

Today was pretty laid back. Stayed in the hotel until around noon, extending my stay for another night. Then grabbed some coffee and a pumpkin scone at Starbucks and headed to Kelley’s where I watched her and her father-in-law do some work on the house while I worthlessly played in the yard with Gheera and laid on the bed in her room. Later Kelley and I headed to I Heart Yogurt, which was a blissful experience. Thanks Kelley! It was so awesome getting to spend time with you. Love you to death.

After a nap in the late afternoon, I headed to Uptown (West Village) area in Dallas, which was really quaint. I had dinner at a Thai-Vietnamese place, a very spicy dish of shrimp pad thai and sat next to a nauseating couple at the bar. I gathered that it was her birthday and they have only sporadically been dating for a short time. Their conversation seriously made me want to punch him in the face and tell her that she can do much better (which I was seconds away from doing). But maybe they were both drunk. Who knows? Here’s a snapshot of the convo:

Annoying guy: “I thought you didn’t mind that I’m seeing other women. Its not serious.”
Girl (also pretty annoying but not quite as bad): “Yes, that’s totally fine.”
Annoying guy: “Well I noticed you are still friends with your ex-boyfriend on facebook.”
Girl: “yes”
Annoying guy: “Well do you see yourself ever getting back together with him?”
Girl: “That’s a valid question but no.”
Annoying guy: “But you have a soft spot for him.”
Girl: “I guess. He’s a good guy.”
Annoying guy: “BS (yes I’m editing/beeping out). That guy is a f_ a_ . I’m so much better looking than him. So much better looking. People love me. I’m absolutely amazing.”
Girl: Ok
Annoying guy: “I’ve told my friends about you. I told my best friend I really like you even though we haven’t had sex.”
Girl: “I haven’t had sex since September; its been a long time.”
Annoying guy: “Well its really important to me. I think we should be together. I think we could be in love. We could really love each other. Do you like me?”
Girl: “I already told you I do.”
Annoying guy: “Well what’s wrong? Can’t you say it again?”

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

I am for real. This guy was not kidding. You get the idea. I wanted to slap him, and her, for still being all over him. He was awful. THEN he bought all three of us shots, which I accepted but it did not help to win me over. After they left, Antonio, the bar tender, gave me a high air five as he was laughing hysterically about the dude who was hitting on me while his girl sat in between us. So lame. To make a long story short, it is not okay to shameless flirt and be all mushy loudly next to someone sitting eating dinner alone at a bar and it is NOT okay to go on and on about how much people like you and how wonderful you are while you get on some girl’s case about being facebook friends with her ex. Oh man. Makes me mad just thinking about it. And with that, its time for bed.

Gheera boycotting walking in 100 degree heat.

Poor Boy Lloyd's

New Orleans to Baton Rouge to Dallas, TX

I feel like I come up with all my good material on the road and by the time I get to sittin’ in front of this computer, it has escaped me. I need to start recording and transcribing this stuff so you can get the full effect of this roadtrip because I guarantee I’ve already forgotten some of the good stuff. So where was I? New Orleans heading to Dallas. Got to drive through the marshy areas again… still definitely the best landscape so far. I decided last minute (when I was practically on top of the city) that I wanted to stop in Baton Rouge. I called some people to try to get some food recs as it was around lunch time yesterday (thanks B and Mom) but ended up driving around for awhile and then parking downtown and walking around for a couple of hours with Gheera, who completely rebelled against the walk (well, that and the heat). We strolled down third street and were both sweating like crazy a couple of blocks in (well, I was sweating; she was panting and I was almost panting.) Anyway, so walked down third all the way to the state capital building and an awesome lake sprawled out behind it. Gheera found a tree she wanted to lay under and parked it there until I started dragging her again. We went through Spanish town, saw some gorgeous houses and then I made the best discovery of that stop… Poor Boy Lloyds. (Before we got there Gheera had tried to go into every air conditioned doorway and plop down in the middle of the sidewalk in the shade several times.) Back to lunch. I have to give them a shout out because the food is awesome (I got a shrimp po boy and gumbo) and I had a lovely conversation with the older gentleman who rang up my food. He had lots of questions for me about where I’m from, where I’m heading, what I do and ended with saying, “well when you write a book about your travels, make sure to mention us.” I smiled, as I was completely unaware that writing a book was in my future. So Poor Boy Lloyd’s. Check ‘em out. Baton Rouge, LA.

The drive to Dallas from Baton Rouge was my first excruciating one of the trip. I am NOT looking forward to the drive across west Texas that everyone has warned me about. I was impressed that the Texas welcome center was right at the state line (usually it comes a couple of miles into the state) though AND they provided me with a huge glossy guide book to the state and a huge state map. (Yes, I intentionally used the word “huge” twice in a sentence about Texas. Seemed appropriate.)

I didn’t get into Dallas until about 9:30pm last night. First stop, Kelley’s in-laws house to see Kelley and Ty and get hugs. Then I moved onto my hotel, which turns out, doesn’t accept dogs. I’m going to shorten this part of the story because even writing about it makes me mad all over again. The ending was sweetened by a stranger though who called another hotel for me, got me a discounted rate and let me follow him there, talked to the lady at the front desk for me and shook my hand goodbye. Ralph or Roger and Rodney or something. Thanks dude. I’ve met some great people on the road. Maybe there is still some hope for mankind.

When all that was said and done it was pretty late by the time I finally went to bed but getting up was easy because I got to spend the entire day with Kelley! She picked me up for breakfast and we went to a place by the name of Legal Grounds where I got a delicious cappuccino and we split a pancake piled with homemade granola, bananas and strawberries and eggs. No, the eggs were not ON the pancake but some salt that Kelley poured on the eggs, which were on the side, ended up on there. Anyway, amazing breakfast with amazing company. After that we ran errands and I got to see their newly renovated house. Fish and shrimp tacos for lunch, a nice walk around her neighborhood in the afternoon, which Gheera boycotted halfway through as well. I can understand though. It was, literally, 100 degrees outside. Later I had dinner with Kelley and Ty’s family and watched the Mavericks beat the Heat. Fun game. That brings us to now. I’m about to post the photos from yesterday and today so keep checking out that site by clicking on the link to the left. More Dallas to come!

Stolen Camera

New Orleans in a nutshell

Farewell New Orleans. I will definitely be back. This is by far my favorite city on these particular travels to date and two and a half days is not enough. I don’t know if I ended up in the right spots music wise because I found Memphis much better in that regard but in terms of the whole atmosphere in the French Quarter and walking around the Market district and along the dirty Mississippi River, New Orleans takes the cake. I often felt like I was walking around on a movie set… the brick sidings on the buildings, balconies, really lovely architecture. Bourbon street was okay but that is the type of thing that is better (and perhaps safer) with friends. I’ll tell you what though, Gheera has been the biggest hit on the streets of New Orleans. Everyone loves her! We probably were looking a bit homeless, however, when the two of us would sit down to rest against brick buildings covered in graffiti. I told mom and dad I was thinking about grabbing my guitar out of my car (if I could get to it) and putting the open case beside us to collect a little extra cash for the trip.

So two days ago we spent about four hours just walking all over the city. As I mentioned, we hit up the French Quarter (aka Vieux Carre), going up and down pretty much every street (I liked all of them except Bourbon street during the day for some reason), as well as the French Market District, where we stopped as Café du Monde per Dad’s recommendation, to get some beignets. I was able to tie Gheera to the railing and sit at a table against it on the other side to enjoy a cup of coffee and a heap of powdered sugar with a few beignets on the side. I poured my water into the saucer for my coffee cup and set it on the ground for Gheer-face. The tables around me saw her, fell in love just like everyone else and started all passing me their water cups. I think I ended up with six empty cups on my table and the only reason they stopped was because she stopped drinking the water. She was a perfect angel until I gave her a little taste of my food then a few moments later I felt her breath on the back of my neck; she had jumped up on the rail and was looking longingly at mound of powdered sugar. At that point the beignets were gone of course. Those things were freaking amazing.

We walked around the outdoor market and I tried an ice cold Louisiana lemonade (yes there may be some rum in this) and sat down to listen to some music for awhile. After a few hours of meandering around the streets and along the river, we headed back to the car and the hotel for the evening.

Yesterday morning, we took it slow, worked out a bit and laid by the pool, having extended our hotel stay for yet another night because I wasn’t quite ready to leave. In the afternoon I left Gheera to sleep on her bed (actually my bed because it turns out she likes to snuggle a whole lot at night) and went to check out the art district. A lot of the museums were closed for one reason or another but I did go into the WWII museum briefly, although not into the actually exhibits. After some coffee and a chocolate chip cookie, I headed back to the hotel to take my doggy out and then back into the city for dinner at a way to expensive but absolutely fantastic restaurant- Broussards. I highly recommend Broussards salad and the pecan crusted grouper along with the house cabernet. They definitely looked at me a bit funny, being all dressed up and in there alone- one even gathered up the courage to ask me why. I told him that it was a “long tragic story” and left it at that. I mean, come on! I have to find some way to amuse myself. I took a walk down Bourbon street after dinner checking out all the bars and music and finally settled on the one with the best sound. I didn’t know that three for one beers meant that they would give me all three at the same time so I ended up parked there for some time. One of the singers took my camera at some point and started singing about me. I’ll try to get that posted.

So New Orleans now comes highly recommended by me. Now Gheera and I must hit the road. We plan to make it to Dallas today.

Blues- Amazing

Road trip to California... from Chapel Hill, NC to New Orleans, LA

I’m going to highjack this blog site for a little while to talk about something other than Haiti. I didn’t really intend for this to solely revolve about that country anyway but my work there is so central to my life that it’s kind of what it has turned into… a blog about Haiti that is. But here we go… some of the tales of my roadtrip to California. My dad actually asked me to do this but I think it’s a good idea because something cool might happen and someday I’ll probably lose my memory. Besides, I’ll probably tell him about it and he’ll forget in a couple of days so he needs to be able to read it. Just kidding Dad.

Anyway! I started off in Chapel Hill. Packed everything I could fit into my 4Runner and then threw away/ gave away/ stored everything else in my sister’s attic. Thanks Candace… I know I said only a few boxes but it is kind of difficult to get rid of everything when you have a whole house full of things. I think I did a pretty good job…

So with the 4Runner packed to over flowing with the exception of space for me and my doggy Bagheera, surfboards strapped on top, we got on 40 West and headed to Nashville, the first stop. I decided that I wasn’t going to commit to being in any particular city in any particular timeframe. My only goal is to get to Ventura by June 11th. Orientation for residency starts the 15th so that will give me plenty of time to settle in to the one bedroom I’m renting in a house 11 houses from the beach from a single mom and her two kids- ages 14 and 9. I’m really excited about that actually, a family waiting for me. Hopefully Gheera will win their hearts and they won’t want to kick us out because I think it will be a great place to live.

So Nashville. I have quite a few friends that live there actually so the night I got there I sent out messages to find what people were up to. I got scolded by Derek and Abby for renting a hotel room (my original plan was to camp but Dad didn’t like that idea so much since it’s just me and the dog) but they still made time for me anyway, making clear that if I ever came to Nashville again and got a hotel instead of staying with them, I was in big trouble. I know Derek and Abby from high school and they’ve lived in Nashville for a long time. They are currently raising five, yes five, adopted teenagers. Derek showed me around the city and I got to see their place and meet their kids. Love all of them! Derek and Abby were leaving for Asheville that evening so I met up with another friend and hung out at Centennial Park. We went to check out the nightlife and all the honkey tonk bars, listened to some great music and saw the most colorful characters. Nashville is a fantastic people watching spot, particularly at night.

I headed to Memphis the next day after a slow and relaxing morning, and breakfast at Pancake Pantry (line out the door, and the BEST pancakes I’ve ever had in my life by far). Oh, the other thing to mention about Nashville is the cicadas. Seriously, like a plague. I’m talking Moses times. Waiting in line at the Pancake Pantry was hysterical as a result. Watching everyone freak out every time a cicada landed on them, perfect strangers swatting at each other (yes the people behind me helped me out when one landed in my hair) and lots of screams and running. So, I suppose I should thank you, cicadas, for keeping me entertained. But I DO NOT like you dive bombing me.

Memphis. Not a bad drive from Nashville. Scenery kind of reminded me of driving around NC and the trip from Chapel Hill to Nashville, minus the mountains as you drive through the Asheville area. I stayed at a pretty ghetto hotel outside of Memphis but enjoyed seeing the city. I dropped Gheer-face off at the hotel and headed down to the Mississippi river to watch the sunset the night I got there, which was beautiful. There also happened to be a performance down there by the Memphis symphony. I didn’t get a ticket to go see them but I could hear it from the river walk- awesome. The BEST music though was on the Beale Street. Live music EVERYWHERE, just like the tour books say. I ended up parking myself in front of one particular set of performers though. I’m going to try to post the video clip. INCREDIBLE jazz, and some harmonica playing like I’ve never heard in my life. I really hope I can upload the clip because I can’t describe it. Some old fat dude with long hair, a cut off jean shirt and tattoos covering his arms politely asked me to dance with him. I politely declined and he told me that I was missing out because he has moves like Patrick Swayze. I have to admit, he may have actually looked like an older, fatter tattooed version of the man. Maybe I should have said yes.

The next day Gheera and I went and walked around the city so I could see it in daylight. I think someone was filming a promotional video of the city because he wanted footage of Gheera walking down the street. She (and my legs) might be famous.
The last section of the drive from Memphis to New Orleans has been my favorite so far. This was yesterday evening. Probably because it’s unlike any scenery I’ve ever experienced before- the houses sitting on stilts in the marshy areas. The bases of trees all covered by water, the bridge that cuts through it all. Sort of an eerie beautiful. I loved it. Now I’m about to go into the city with my doggy. Will write more about New Orleans later! I’ve never been here before so I’m totally stoked. E-mail me or leave a message here if there is something that I should see/ experience during my few days in this city. Next stop will be Dallas. Get ready Kelley and Leilani!