Traveling Solo

So this spring break trip is exciting and a little nerve racking at the same time.  I'll be traveling largely by myself. On the one hand, this is good because then I can be in complete control of my schedule -- which we all know I love.  But on the other hand, I have to be on my game all the time.  No following or becoming a baby duck.  It takes some extra planning with less figure-it-out-as-I-go, but I have more leniency for random adventures based on what catches my fancy at any particular time.

I've been flipping through my fave travel book, The Art of Travel by Alain DeBotton.  Check it out.  Seriously, some of the best ideas about space and place and the psychology of traveling that I've ever read -- and it's completely accessibly, so don't be freaked out because it's sometimes categorized as philosophy. I've shared a couple of quotes from it on the main page of this blog, but I thought I'd share a couple more just because  I think they're so articulate.  Yes, I'm a word-nerd.

"Journeys are the midwives of though.  Few places are more conducive to internal conversations than moving planes, ships or trains." -- I find this one to be especially true.  The prospect of travel coupled with confinement to a single seat on a bus or plane creates the perfect milieu for dreaming about what life could be.  During a highly transitional phase in my life, that space to create and plan without bounds makes the prospect of growing up less fearsome and more exciting.

I've also been reading a great blog I stumbled upon thanks to CNN -- here are links to their article on the 5 Joys of Traveling Solo and the original blog, Solo Traveler, that inspired it.  This woman amazes me.  She's not a youngin' afflicted with capricious wanderlust, but a true world traveler who's explored all of the corners of the globe alone.  No waiting for others to get in gear and plan a trip -- she just goes and the fluidity of her planning style has led to some really great adventures.  Now I just need to find a job that will fiance such excursions and give me the PTO to take them :)

SPRING BREAK!

So today marks the official beginning of spring break for me!  I only have one class with tests which meant only one midterm this week, but two papers and an internship interview made the week more stressful than I would have liked.  I'll be jetting off for Los Angeles tomorrow after an early morning bus ride to Boston -- flights are MUCH cheaper out of Logan than out of Burlington's teeny-tiny airport.  After a couple days with the fam, I'll be heading up to San Francisco for four days of meetings and a little sight seeing too.  I'll try to update this thing throughout the trip -- I realize I've been hard-core slacking. And since I won't be doing to much after-dark exploring, I'll have the time.  And I've been google-mapping hard core and there a at least a half-dozen thai restaurants right by where I'm staying. Score!

Here's my jam for the trip!

Returning the Favor

So after my unexpected adventure in Newark, I told my rescuer Eric that he had an open invite in Vermont any time he wished.  Lots of times, those things are never cashed in on, but apparently the urban insanity that is Newark got to be too much so Eric came up here to see some trees.

Life in VT is pretty slow paced and if you're not going skiing, there are minimal options in the winter for activities.  So we ended up playing a lot of cribbage.  I would like to note that for the record, I did win 5 out of 8 games, so I am technically the champion.  Eric will tell you that that's negated by the fact that I got skunked.  You'd think my years of training would have prevented that, but it is only the second time in my life that it's happened.  And I did peg 32 points one hand with the crib.

Not happy about losing.  I was Scarlet Red of course.  

Laura ended up lending us her car for the day on Sunday so we got out to Camel's Hump State Park for some winter hiking and then over to the Ben and Jerry's factory for some bad cow-inspired puns and free samples. Side note- we actually did see a camel!  Some crazy Vermonter has apparently decided to keep one in his front yard as a pet!

The Camel's Hump through the trees.

All in all, it was a pretty fun weekend, especially since my ski-bro friends are always exhausted after a day on the mountain and aren't usually up for fun things. And it was nice to see someone from back home and relive the glory days a bit.

Ski Bunnies v. Ski Bros

One of the defining questions for all Vermonters is this: ski or snowboard.  It tells you more about a person in this culture than "dogs or cats" or "democrat or republican".  All my buddies fall into the ski category and have been hitting the slopes multiple times a week since we finally got snow last month.  I decided that when in Vermont, I must try skiing.  I mean, that's a dream vacation for some people, so it would be silly if I didn't go at least once.

So Andi, Laura and I piled in the car on Saturday morning to head out to Jay Peak.  Originally, we were going to go to Bolton, but a couple of guys down the hall wanted to go to Jay, so we adjusted.  The issue with Jay is that it's huge.  I mean you get neck cramps from trying to look at the top of the mountain huge.  It freaked me out.  The last time I went skiing was at Mount Kato in 8th grade and I got really good at falling down.  And just to put it in perspective, Mt. Kato has 19 trails, Jay has 79.  No lies.

It took us about an hour and a half to drive there and it got snowier and colder as we went.  Once we arrived, we had to navigate parking which was a pain and a half.  But after getting my gear and lift ticket, I was good to go.  Laura has been skiing for a while and gave me some good pointers about turning and how to go slow.  There was this tube track thing near the lodge that would bring you up a little ways to practice a bit, so I did that a couple of times.

Then we decided to hit the bunny hill.  And this began the debate over what to call ourselves, ski bunnies or ski bros.  Laura, being a wildlife biology major and general animal fanatic, went bunny.  Andi, being from Boston where everyone is some sort of bro, obviously went bro.  I went bunny, but the majority did not win out and we ended up with a split decision.

My first run went ok.  I only fell 3 times.  And the second time I went down it, I didn't fall at all.  I was getting my ski legs and was ready for a bigger run.  So we met up with Andrew and Ryan (both of whom think double black diamonds are the only runs worth exploring) and took a lift.  Now, Laura had told me that we'd only be going on green circle trails - the easy ones - but when we got to the top of the mountain, and I mean top, there were only blue squares and black diamonds.  Needless to say I was shaking in my ski boots.  But you have to get down one way or another, so I tried my best.  It was a hot mess.  I fell down probably 10 times and on 2 occasions, it took me nearly 10 minutes to get back up on my skis.  Thanks be to God that Laura is patient.  The boys had gone ahead and after waiting 15 minutes for us at the bottom, decided to ski on, so I hit the bunny run a couple more times before Laura and I dipped inside to warm up with some cider.

I did try that run again later in the day and only fell down twice, so I did get better throughout the day.  One thing they don't tell you about skiing is how many muscles it takes!  Good thing I run otherwise I'm not sure how long I would have been able to go.  The lifts closed at 4pm and we went down for one more run.  Andi challenged me to go fast.  I don't like going fast.  But go big or go home, right?  Or as the guy on the lift said, go big then go home.  So I went bombs away and didn't fall down.  I was actually waiting for Laura and Andi at the bottom instead of them waiting for me -- a welcome change.

I conked out on the ride back to Burlington only waking up to eat some McDonald's on the way.  It was a really fun day over all and I'm glad I went.  Now if only this bruise on my butt would go away...

Vermonnnnnnnnnn

Since moving out here in August, I have been teased more about my "accent" than anything else in my life.  While I maintain that Minnesotans speak correctly, I am in the minority.  All these Vermonters are convinced that they have no accent, but that is just not the case.  Here are some pronunciation keys and a couple videos courtesy of Dr. Steve Peterson to help you practice your Vermonter accent so that if you ever venture to the Green Mountain State, you can blend right in.  

Step 1 to assimilation is to ignore "t"s at the end of words.  So "Vermont" becomes "Vermon".

Step 2: add "r" sounds to the ends of words ending in "a".  Idea = idear.  Delta = delter.

Step 3: any double "o" sound will now be an "uh" sound.  Room = rumm.

Step 4: pronounce "a" like it sounds in "air".  Garage = gairage.

And just to drive home the point that Minnesotans do NOT have an accent (or any weird idioms), here's another treat for you :)

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

Ok, so for one of my classes -- Preservation Planning and Policy -- we get a travel grant to go and do field research over spring break.  Sounds super fancy, right?  We just have to visit and research a preservation focused NPO or firm or the like in our chosen locale.  Problem is, I have no idea where to go.  My list of places to see is longer than most people's driveways and I'm having trouble narrowing it down.  San Francisco has a slight lead right now, but Portland and Seattle are holding strong.

 So I put it to you fine people of the internet.  What's your favorite city in the US?  

The Best Way it Could Have Gone Wrong

Mmmkay.  So here's the deal.  Classes here at UVM don't start until tomorrow, but I had planned on being back on the east coast a few days early to celebrate the roommie's birthday and potentially do some skiing.  As we all know, Petersons love plans, but that doesn't mean that the plans always go as planned.  So here's the breakdown of my 30 hour adventure back to Vermont.

Thursday - 4.15 CST:  Wake up after having dreams about missing my flight and then having to drive back home to get bags that I forgot only to have some man named Carol mis-schedule my flight.  Some of my dreams are oddly detailed.

4.35:  Leave in the 1989 Ford Ranger to go down to Land to Air Express for the 5am shuttle to the airport.  A surprising number of people are also up at this ungodly hour.

5.00: Shuttle leaves. Plan is working.

6.17: Shuttle arrives at MSP.

6.35: I'm already checked in and through security.  The dude at the Continental desk didn't even weigh my bag rendering the 3 repacking sessions futile.  Now to waste 2.5 hours.....

8.40: Board the tiny plane to Newark.  Some nice dude in an overly fancy, three-piece suit shoves my backpack under the seat next to him since there is no room left in the overhead compartments.

8.45: Pilot informs us that due to inclement weather on the east coast, we've been delayed for an hour.  Crap.  I only have a 35 minute layover in Newark before catching my connecting flight.

8.47: Pilot informs us that we have been delayed an additional 90 minutes and that we are all to deboard the plane.  Plan has derailed.

9.05: Supposed to be flying to lovely New Jersey, instead I'm waiting in line to talk to the flight attendant.  She tells me that my connecting flight has also been delayed because of the weather 3+ hours and that I should have no problem making my flight.  Awesome, plan is back on.

10.20:  Reboard the plane and depart 45 minutes later.

2.30pm EST: Arrive at Newark Liberty International Airport.  I check to departure board for my gate only to find that my flight isn't there.  Talk to another flight attendant who informs me that my connecting flight actually left on time and that the original flight attendant must have been smoking crack.

3.35: Finally get to the customer service desk.  Mother calls/texts multiple times during the wait.  Sorry, Mom, but I've found it's best to make the plan first and then inform you of it when things are ok again :)

3.40: Rude customer service man makes me wait extra long so he can help people behind me in line.  But surprisingly nice customer service lady helps me instead.  Things are looking up until she informs me that there are no seats on any flights to Burlington that night.  Plan has been completely scrapped.  She asks me if I have anyone to call and I tell her that I'm from Minnesota - her face was priceless.  The complete actualization of the "oh shit" feelings I was feeling on the inside.  Then I realize that I do know one person in Newark, a Johnnie who's in NJ teaching at a prep school.  So I call: "Hey Eric, sorry to be the friend who doesn't keep in touch after graduation and then asks for massive favors, but I'm stranded in Newark at the moment.  Can you help me??"  And thank the Lord Baby Jesus he said yes.

3.50: Call Mother and inform her of my plan.  Then wait for Eric outside door 4 and watch taxi drivers obsessively point out scratches on their cars to colleagues.

4.15: We arrive at Saint Benedict's Prep School in Newark where Eric teaches and lives.  I now call it Hotel Eric because he set me up with an apartment/guest room to stay in, let me shower, fed me.

6.00: We eat dinner with the other Johnnies staying there and some of the students and then watch Family Guy and eat pie.

9.30: The guys are antsy and decide that the appropriate thing to do is drive to Hoboken, NJ.  We take a powder blue van nicknamed the Abbot Wagon -- it even has its own plaque on the parking space.  Paul, another Johnnie, points out that all the cars have massive scrapes on the sides because the automated gate tends to close while you're driving through it.  On the drive, Paul calls his new favorite cigar shop to see how late it's open.  The "little Arabian man" says 11pm.

9.45:  We run, literally, to Coldstone for some ice cream, (which, after the pie, I was too full to eat. dang) and then make our way to the aforementioned cigar shop.  But first we stop at Carlos' Bakery, where TLC's Cake Boss is filmed and peer through the window :)

10.00: The cigar shop is closed.  Thus begins Eric explanation of "Paul Approved Plans" and he warns me that I will be hearing about this cigar fiasco until I die.  He was right.

10.30: We send some time walking along the Hudson River, looking at the NYC skyline, while Eric, Paul and Andy (another Johnnie) tell me about all the sketchy people who live in New Jersey and how many times they've almost been attacked.  Good thing I'm too sleep deprived to be concerned.

11.30: We start driving back to Newark and I fall asleep in the car only to be awoken by hitting pot holes every 10 feet.  I then crash (literally) on the couch in my room and end up sleeping there for the rest of the night.

Friday - 5.40am:  Eric drives me back to the airport even though I would have willingly taken a cab (he later informed me that cabs only pick you up about 50% of the time even with a reservation are sketch-tastic in general)

6.15:  Another trip through security at world-record pace.  I find a bagel and almost have a panic attack that I bought a chocolate chip one, but then realize it's cinnamon raisin.  I hate chocolate in the morning.  I then spend 90 minutes watching HLN on the airport TV and observing 2 obliviously worn-out parents try unsuccessfully to manage their 2 daughters probably  2 and 3 years old.

7.45: We board the plane and I have the entire row to myself.  Tiny miracles.  Unfortunately the tired parents with the demon children are right in front of me.  I have never seen such passive parents in my life.  maybe they were just trying to keep the tiny humans calm, but after a 20 minute (no lie) screaming fit, I hardly think that's the case.  And FYI tired mom, seat belts aren't optional and yes, the flight attendant is perfectly justified in reminding you of that.

9.13: I land in Burlington and luckily my bag had been transferred to my rebooked flight so I could just grab it and go.

10.00: FINALLY back in my apartment.  I put off the unpacking and showering in favor of a 3 hour nap.  Welcome home :)


Unfortunately, I have no pictures of my unplanned excursion as my camera was in my checked bag, but it was fun all the same. There are only 3 airports in the world that someone could have come to get me and I am beyond thankful that I was stranded in Newark and not somewhere else.  And I'm also so grateful to to the CSBSJU orientation staff of 2007 for putting Eric and I in the same group :)  Otherwise I would have been S.O.L in 2012.