Hiking Old Rag Mountain

This weekend I conquered Old Rag Mountain. Old Rag Mountain is in the Shenandoah National Park and is part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Range.  Old Rag is one of the most challenging and most frequently hiked mountains in the range. The hike, a circuit loop, from start to finish is nearly 9 miles and reaches a height of 3,291 feet above sea level. The total elevation change from the base to the summit is about 2,200 feet.

One of my co-workers organized this hike in an effort to introduce others to the wonders of the Blue Ridge Mountains (and I think to find others willing to trudge through the wilderness).

The hike is comprised of trails blazed through forest and rock formations and concludes with a 1.2 mile rock scramble to the summit.  I can only describe the “rock scramble” as crawling, pulling, and overcoming large boulders and impossibly tight passes between slabs of granite. I’m glad that other hikers were too busy trying to figure out how to navigate the trail to notice my (surely) awkward contorting, flexing and bending to get through some of the obstacles.

Typical trail heading up to the summit

Part of the Rock Scramble (the blue paint indicates you’re on the "right" trail)

These 'stairs' were cut out of lava rock which had flowed up between 

two slabs of granite during the formation of the range

Nearing the summit – almost there…

 The summit is almost within reach…

The views from the top were spectacular! We ate lunch at the top and enjoyed a 360-degree view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Blue Ridge Mountains got their name from the ‘blue’ haze above the range

Proof I made it the top!

After our lunch on the summit, we headed down Old Rag. The trail down the mountain was certainly less exciting and much easier (gravity is an ally in this direction). We finished the hike in 5 hours and packed up to head back to the city. I’m glad I took the opportunity to try something new. I’m already looking forward to the next hike.

Petite Sweets

My latest obsession is Silva's Patisserie - a darling sweets shop in Vienna, VA.  Silva opened the patisserie with her son Harry in 2008.  Harry was a former pastry chef for the Kennedy Arts Center in D.C.  Their shop features European-style miniature desserts, as well as wedding cakes and middle eastern specialty foods.  When I googled "patisserie" I found that it is defined as, "a type of French or Belgian bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets. In both countries it is a legally controlled title that may only be used by bakeries that employ a licensed maître pâtissier (master pastry chef)."  The first time Josh and I walked into the store we stood in front of the display case drooling over which perfectly crafted sweets to choose.  This is what we left with.

Not included in this photo is one very scrumptious chocolate chip cookie and a free baguette.  From left to right - creme brulee, strawberry bavarian cream puff, key lime pie, lemon pie, a rum ball and red velvet cake.  Tiny bites of heaven.

Girls Weekend

While Josh was in Japan, my Grandma and Aunt Jill journeyed out to visit me.  They decided to be adventurous and take the Amtrak train from Newton, KS to Chicago to Washington D.C.  Their total time on the train was around 28 hours!  I drove in to pick them up from Union Station and they got to experience D.C. traffic...and my "dukes of hazard driving skills."  The next morning we took the metro back to the National Mall area and went on a tour of the Engraving and Printing Museum.  During the tour you get to see the different stages of production used to create our currency. 

1 million dollars in $10 dollar notes

After our tour we walked over to the National Museum of American History.  I think our favorite exhibit was one that featured the first ladies and their inaugural ballgowns.  

One of the more bizarre items we saw was a display case containing hair samples from the first fourteen presidents.  The plaque reads, "Today the idea of collecting hair may seem morbid, or at least bizarre.  But in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was an acceptable way to mourn and to remember.  This display came to the Smithsonian from the U.S. Patent Office in 1883.  It contains hair from Presidents Washington to Pierce.  It was assembled to honor the presidents and to keep them visible for future generations."  

The most moving display was a burned and twisted steel column assembled from the 17th floor or the World Trade Center.  The Smithsonian Museums are a perfect hiding spot on these extremely hot days!  Later that afternoon we also toured Arlington National Cemetery and watched the changing of the guards.

On Saturday we drove to Occoquan, VA, a charming town with several blocks of boutiques and restaurants to explore.  We stopped for lunch at Madigan's Waterfront...and ate crab cake sandwiches, of course.  That evening we went on a twilight trolley tour of D.C.  Our evening tour almost didn't happen after the original company I booked our tour with called to cancel our reservation.  I enjoyed having a fun girls weekend with Grandma and Jill while Josh was out of town.  I'm not sure if either of them would travel Amtrak again or not.  They talked about how hard it was to sleep on the train at night, but they did enjoy some of the interesting characters sitting around them on the trip.

Freedom

...from spending every evening, weekend and spare hour studying for one big 'ol nasty test.  I am free.  And I PASSED!  Yours truly is now FINRA Series 7 licensed.  My freedom will most likely be short lived however.  I still have to knockout the Series 66 before the end of the year.  I'm going to savor this sweet, joyous freedom while I have it.  While I've mostly been a hermit the last two months, we have had a few fun outings.  I will do my best to catch up on blog posts in the next few days.  Stay tuned!

Konnichiwa! (a Josh blog post)

I recently traveled to Okinawa, Japan for business.  Let me just say that flying halfway around the world is not without minor unpleasantries. Perhaps the worst part of flying to Okinawa was being stuck inside a metal tube for over 19 hours.  My flight to Okinawa consisted of a direct flight from DC to Tokyo, Japan – over 14 hrs of continuous flying and then a “short” 2.5 hour flight from Tokyo to Naha, Okinawa.  That was a long time to be stuck in a plane, but it was well worth it.

My team and I arrived in Okinawa late Saturday night, and first thing Sunday we were out exploring. Since this trip was for business we wanted to take advantage of all of our “down time" as much as possible. Sunday afternoon was spent exploring part of Okinawa off the Marine Corps base where I was staying and working. We explored an area called American Village which is an Americanized shopping and beach area where many ex-pats like to gather. Sunday night our team went to a sushi restaurant not far from base.  I ordered a sushi plate but it wasn’t anything too exotic (other than varieties of fish we don’t have here in the states). The restaurant had sashimi horse on the menu, but I couldn’t bring myself to order raw horse meat.

The work week went by fairly quickly and Friday was soon upon us.  Our exit brief with the base CO (commanding officer) was complete we were done with our business and free to be tourists.  The POC (point of contact) at the Marine base went above and beyond his duties and assigned someone from the motor pool to drive us to two tourist spots Friday afternoon. We went to Shurijo Castle (pronounced Shur’ee) and Okinawa World.  The Castle was amazing – granted that original wooden castle was mostly destroyed during WWII but rebuilt to its original state.  The original castle was built around the 14^th century and served as the center of politics and diplomacy for the Ryukyu Kingdom until Okinawa became under control of Japan.

Okinawa World was more of a tourist trap, but it did provide for some interesting experiences.  The park was set up to showcase the “wonders” of Okinawa.  It had gardens, underground caves, glass blowing, a brewery, and Habu exhibit.  The Habu exhibit is dedicated to one of the islands predators, a tree snake.  In this exhibit I had the opportunity to hold (what seemed like) a large python. I have a new respect for the power of these snakes…just feeling the snake flex was enough to make me wonder if I was going to become an over sized snack.

Saturday was spent on the northern part of the island.  We were able to book a tour trip up to the Okinawa Aquarium and Expo Park.  The aquarium has the world's second largest tank; which held manta rays, hundreds of other fish, and three whale sharks.  Of all the fish and marine life I saw that day, I enjoyed the sea turtles the most. The beach at the aquarium was pretty awesome. On Sunday, I spent most of the day at the beach near the Marine base where we were staying.

My time in Okinawa was unbelievable and it was hard to leave what the Japanese call the “Hawaii of Japan.” I’m going to miss the good food and the laid back feel that emanates from the people who live there.  But at the same time it is good to be back home. I just wish that the jet lag would go away.  Several people have mentioned to me that for every hour of time difference, it takes 1 day to recover.  I'm hoping it doesn’t take 13 days to get back to my normal sleep pattern. 

Kansas Wheat Harvest

Well, I am husband-less for the next week.  Josh is in a far, far away country for work.  He has promised me that he will write a very exciting blog about his travels for you once he returns.  I told him to take lots of photos...the food, the landscapes, the people...everything.  For now, you're still stuck with me.  We've been pretty low-key since my parents visited and without any adventures to write about I've been sitting here, pondering what to write.  Luckily, I came up with an idea.

Every year, at some point between the 2nd and 3rd week of June, wheat harvest in central Kansas kicks off.  You know it's about time to start cutting once the "custom cutting crews" start making their way north from finishing harvests in Texas and Oklahoma.  I love wheat.  Even though its dust tends to make my eyes itch to the point of swelling shut and causing sudden and uncontrollable coughing and sneezing fits.  I love the rustling sound it makes in the breeze and I love the exciting highs and lows of helping with harvest.  Some of my official harvest duties have included:
                                           professional window washing

                                          and expertly driving grain trucks.

Some years harvest goes smoothly and others...it doesn't.  Grain trucks suddenly lose brake power and you fly speeding down a narrow dirt road, across a highway, with a full 18 ton load of grain and come to a stop a quarter mile down the road.  I bawled hysterically after that incident.  My biggest embarrassing harvest oops was during a trip to town to unload a grain truck and on the uphill drive into the west grain elevator, I accidentally killed the engine and rolled backwards down the hill and crashed the back end of the truck into a metal support beam.  Live and learn.  But it's not just the help that gets into sticky situations.  The boss man himself sometimes goofs up.  On rare occasion he may accidentally drive the combine over a ravine and into a giant mud sink hole.  

I hate not being able to be home to help with harvest, but at the same time it's kinda nice to not be a part of the chaos.  Farmers work incredibly hard during harvest, from dawn till dusk.  Please be mindful if you see combines, machinery or grain semis on the road.  And give them a nice wave when you pass them.  Country folk love waving.  
                                              

Like Fish Out of Water

Do you ever come back from vacation feeling like you need another vacation just to recoup?  Boy, that's how I feel!  Mom and Dad were here with us over the long weekend and we packed more sightseeing into 3.5 days than I thought would be possible.  We ate at our favorite brewery, toured the White House, took a bus tour of the monuments around DC, browsed through the American History Smithsonian Museum, visited Arlington Cemetery, drove to Baltimore to eat crab cakes, toured the USS Constellation ship and the USS Torsk SS-423 submarine in the Baltimore Inner Harbor, stopped by the official Peeps store, visited Mount Vernon and introduced Mom and Dad to DC traffic and the MetroRail.  I think they left DC completely exhausted, but full of American history knowledge.

Holding up the Washington Monument.

This same morning we ate breakfast at the Old Ebbit Grill.  The restaurant was opened in 1856 and has been a favorite meeting spot for presidents and politicians. 

Oh Lordy...can you imagine what kind of trouble America would be in if this was our reality?  :)  He was pretty disappointed that Obama didn't come down to shake his hand while we were at the White House.  The White House tour we went on included 8 rooms. On the ground floor we saw the Vermeil Room, the Library, and the China Room and then we were able to see the entire first floor, which included the East Room, Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room, and State Dining Room.  

At the WWII Memorial

Faidley's Seafood at Lexington Market in Baltimore, MD.   Yes, my obsession with crab cakes continues.  I was a bit worried that Dad would not like them.  After all, this is a man that normally refuses to eat anything but beef.  Surprisingly though he was the first one to finish his crab cake. 

Mmmmm. An award winning lump crab cake, mac 'n cheese, and coleslaw.  Faidley's will ship their seafood anywhere in the US.  One of the meat coolers in the market had a large painted sign on the front that said, "Muskrat, Raccoon, Alligator, sold when in season."  A 16 oz. lobster tail will set you back $36.95. 

 

Josh and Dad on the USS Torsk SS-423 submarine.  (Patrolled the Pacific war zone in 1944-1945.)  We also toured the USS Constellation, a battleship that was commissioned in 1855.  I can't fathom what life would have been like for sailors on either ship.  The submarine was extremely cramped.  The only thing that kept me from feeling too claustrophobic was knowing that there were two open hatches I could escape from if I needed to get out.  The USS Constellation has a wonderful "old smell." The ship once sailed to the West Coast of Africa with the mission of intercepting vessels engaged in illegal slave trade. 

At Peeps & Co.  Mayan temple sacrifice scene made out of Peeps.  Mom is crazy about Peeps.  As far as I know, this is the only Peeps & Co store that exists.  I tried a chocolate coated Peep that was delicious. 

Mount Vernon - A.K.A. George Washington's home.  Mom and I were both surprised at how brightly painted the interior of the home was.  In 1796, having a home with painted walls indicated that you were very wealthy.   The paint was imported in powder form and was hand mixed with linseed oil just before use.

The American History Museum is my favorite Smithsonian so far.  We saw a replica of Julia Child's kitchen, the original Muppets, Dorothy's ruby slippers, Fonzie's leather jacket, a bronze mold of Abraham Lincoln's face, the Watergate file cabinet, and many more unique exhibits. 

 

We immensely enjoyed having them here with us and showing them the sights.  I was feeling a bit homesick and couldn't wait to see them and give them big hugs.  I am also excited that we will have more family coming to visit in a few weeks!  But a warning to those considering coming to visit us...Yes, I will most likely drag you an hour North of here to Baltimore to eat crab cakes. (Unless you have a shellfish allergy, of course.)

And by the way, my mother managed to take 289 photos in the 3 days they were here.  I'm not joking.  The woman takes more foliage pictures than anyone else I know.  If you're interested in seeing photos of trees and flowers from their trip, let her know...she has lots.  :)