Halloo!

Forgive me. It doesn't take long for me to become very lax in blog updating. Probably because I can only use the Internet once a week, and often I'd rather be spending that free time doing something else. You know, since I'm in a whole new world and there are things to see and trails to hike and explorations to be had. Especially since Shawn is finally here! That's right, the long saga is finally at an end. His cross-country expedition went off without a hitch, and now he's in one awesome apartment in Phoenix (which is actually where I am writing this from). So now my days off will be filled up with wonderful adventures instead of sleeping til noon and then wandering aimlessly about Globe. So much to do and see and smell and eat! We've already hit up In-N-Out Burger and Alice Cooper's Cooper'stown, seen The Watchmen, and made plans to see a "Cactus League" spring training baseball game. Not to mention that someday we will have to get furniture for this apartment...

On the workfront, last weekend was the park's annual open house. This is the only weekend all year that they open the trail to the Upper Cliffs and let the public walk up on their own, without a reservation. Of course, they still have to have employees posted about the park to keep an eye on everyone, so on Saturday I got to spend the entire day sitting at the Upper Cliffs. It started off crazy, but the crowd tapered off as the day went on. I did have to reacquaint myself to working with Jan. She'd been on sick leave for several days (due to allergies they say). Sunday was thankfully much slower; I got to spend a few quick hours up at the Lower Cliffs and then mosey on down to the entrance kiosk to take people's money. I have to say, that the kiosk was pretty sweet. All I had to do was wait for a car to pull up, answer a couple of basic questions, take their fee, and then wave them onward to someone else. The rest of the time I put my feet up and solved some Sudoku puzzles. You get a cd player in there and it could be a pretty sweet gig. Too bad they don't actually use the kiosk the rest of the year. Also, next Monday I will finally be giving my first official tour to the Upper Cliffs. I guess I had better get back to studying so I can say something besides "uhh" or "I don't really know."

The snake count is up to five - four western diamondback rattlers and one gopher snake. One time I also saw a raven grabbing a snake off the road. I think it was some kind of omen. For what, I haven't yet discovered.

And now, my patience for blogging has reached its limit. I'll get back to you again someday. Happy Spring!

Grab Bag

Let's see....

My car fiasco is finally over. I found someone to buy Fancy Cletus for parts. I got a whole $300. Soon I might get a little more for the tires.

It's getting pretty warm out here. I got my first sunburn a few weeks ago (i.e. - in February). The last time I got sunburned in February, I was in Australia and it was the middle of summer.

I've now seen three roadrunners. Also several rabbits, quail, squirrels, and a few deer. Still only one coyote, though.

We have a new seasonal guide working at the park - Beverly. She's wacky.

I will finally be conducting my own Upper Cliff tours, starting in a week or two. Woohoo.

I'm almost halfway through this internship. Soon I'll have to find another job. Oh my.

Shawn is about to embark on a whirlwind road trip across half the country, culminating in his long-awaited arrival in Phoenix! I can hardly contain myself...

Ta-ta for now.

A Turn of Events

In my last post I mentioned that old habits die hard. And, boy, do they ever. I had no idea exactly how hard. With a crash, even. Let me clarify…

It all started last week. I departed from Tonto National Monument uncharacteristically early for me on a day off. But I was embarking on a journey down the Apache Trail – an old road between Roosevelt and Apache Junction (a suburb of Phoenix) that was created when the dam was being built in 1906. Today it’s a regular route for tourists, since it winds through the scenic canyons along the Salt River. At work, I get at least 20 questions a day about this road, so I figured I had better check it out for myself. And it was indeed scenic – winding over, under, and around mountains and red rock cliffs, past lakes, through valleys of saguaro. I stopped along the road every couple of miles to take pictures. I ate lunch at the mining town-turned-tourist trap wayside of Tortilla Flat (not the one of Steinbeck fame, unfortunately), and jotted mental notes to write about the swarm of retirees and the prickly pear ice cream (disappointing). But alas, this blog is not the one I had envisioned.

As I ended my early morning on Arizona’s beautiful byway, I was confronted with the hustle and bustle of urbania and opted to conclude my venture and return to Globe. After another two hour drive (which was scenic all its own) I returned to the familiar burg. I made appearances at all my regular haunts – the library, the grocery store, the gas station – and began to make for home, since it was already dark. But my eagerness was a fateful one. As I approached the intersection, the light changed to green, inviting me to hurry on home. However, it failed to warn me of the oncoming car, to which I was supposed to yield … and the rest is history. And so is Fancy Cletus (my Jeep, to those of you who don’t know him).

No one was hurt in the wreck, thank God, but I was quite rattled, angry at myself, and immediately stressed, because I knew I was going to be out of a lot of money, one way or another. Susan picked me up and brought me back to the park, where I was now presented with the dilemma of being stranded 30 miles from anywhere and with no car. And, as I said, sometimes old habits die hard.

My current living situation put an interesting twist on my previous concept of the work/home dichotomy, and I am, oh, so lucky it did. And I am, oh, so lucky my coworkers/neighbors are not elitist hermits like myself. As news of my accident spread, everyone made clear that they would be more than happy to help me out. Since the wreck was my fault, I had to take a defensive driving class, all the way in Fountain Hills (northern Phoenix), which Susan volunteered to shuttle me to and from. Brian talked to his friend at the garage in town so that I wouldn't have to pay storage fees on the jeep, since I had no idea when I would be back. Patrick and Jan let me borrow their internet to furiously research Craigslist for a new vehicle (with extra help from Shawn and my parents), and Patrick drove me all the way to downtown Phoenix when I finally found one. Say hello to Fancy Clementine...

Yes, that is the original color. Purple? Magenta? Plum? I'm not sure what it's called, but I think Fancy Cletus would approve. The point is, if I hadn't been living in the same place that I work - if I hadn't had amazing neighbors, who I also happen to work with - I never would have found her. I am eternally grateful.

Unfortunately, however, Fancy Cletus is definitely a goner. I will miss him. We had some great times, and I was hoping to have more. But c'est la vie. I think Fancy Clementine will bear his torch well. Right now, Brian and Patrick are still helping me out, trying to find someone who might buy Cletus for parts. He was an organ donor. He will live on in other jeeps.

The moral of the story is, appreciate what you've got. Before last week, I never thought about losing my car, but there it went (and a whole lot of money with it). Before last week, I never thought of mixing work and play, but for no particular reason, and I was lucky to find that I work with people better than I. Perhaps now my old habit has breathed its last. Perhaps I will enter new jobs with a different outlook. Anyway, it's definitely changed for the time being, and for the better.