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ellies-cycling-notes · 1 year ago

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Day 11: Jordan Junction to Evitts Creek

Distance Covered: 76.72 miles

Total Time (including rests): 9:38 (7:51am-5:29pm)

Time spent riding: 6:34

Average Speed: 11.7 mph

Apples Eaten: 3 (jazz - 7.5/10, jazz - 6.5/10, jazz - 7/10)

Today's ride was a mix of good and bad. The riding itself went pretty well, staying on the C&O trail for almost the entire time. The C&O trail is a gravel path, so that's annoying, but it's still better than hilly paved roads. On the other hand, I did get a flat near the end of my ride, which kinda sucked, and even worse, I had to walk my bike for about 2.5 miles on a hilly hiking path because part of the C&O was closed off, and this was the only feasible detour. That detour is a large reason why my total time is 3 hours longer than my time spent riding.

There were almost no other bicyclists or joggers/hikers on the path today, so that was more relaxing. I spent a lot of the ride not thinking about anything and just enjoying the scenery. I am really tired out today, and am glad that tomorrow's ride is only ~68 miles. I did yoga, but I'm still going to do some more stretching, cause my legs are really hurting.

Notes on the Ride:

Counting sheep - I've started to count sheep as a way to fall asleep more quickly at campsites because I'd rather not just be laying in bed doing nothing for too long

More deer - I mentioned on previous days seeing deer once or twice crossing the path. Today, I lost count how many times there were deer right in front of me

Lots of wildlife - in addition to deer, I saw turtles, herons, ducks, frogs, cardinals, and even what looked like a wild cat. There're also a lot of bugs, but they're not the kind of wildlife I want to see.

Faulty pumps - I used my water filter multiple times today at pumps along the ride. However, some of the pumps didn't seem to want to work. I'd give them 20 or so pushes, and still no water would come out. Luckily, there's a pump every 3-5 miles on average, so when that happened I could just continue on to the next pump.

Bug in Mouth - I almost swallowed a fly that flew into my mouth as I was riding. Luckily, it got stuck on the outside of my teeth, and I was able to remove it.

Design Notes

Time loop

Possible Character roles (each player gets one, it influences what actions they can perform and what items they start with): captain, scientist, medical officer, engineer, security officer, navigator

Map: the map is a 3x5 grid of squares. The center square is the sleeping area, where all players start. Each room can have a player cap, which is the maximum number of people that can be in that room. The sleeping area has no player cap, but most rooms have a player cap. Here are some possible other rooms and possible player caps:

Cockpit - 2

Storage - 3

Escape Hatch - 1

Defense Controls - 1

Main Power Source - 3

Supplementary Power - 2

Emergency Power - 1

Food Hall - 4

Communications Room - 2/3

Meeting Room - no limit

Medical Bay - 3

Research room - 2

Brig - 2/3

Arms Supply - 2

Time events are what truly make this a legacy game, as they are the main part of the game which changes things from loop to loop. They are likely going to be necessary, despite the risks, in order to finally escape the time loop.

How serious do I want the game to be? If more comical, I can include more references, both to sci-fi in general and time travel specifically. For example: "time bandits" - a time event that steals an item; "it's bigger on the inside" - an event that removes the player cap for a room.

However, a more serious version would likely entice players who want to play the game more seriously, and take maximum advantage of things. In other words, I think it would be easier to apply a comical theme, but a more serious theme would better showcase what type of game it is.

Grid Delver

I also have a quick overview of the existing tiles in Grid Delver. Each tile is written out like this:

Tile Name - properties of tile; what level they first appear at; how common they are when they first appear; how much more common they become as you advance floors; whether they would be able to have points/gold on them in the new version; restrictions on how they might appead on the guaranteed path from start to finish

Tiles:

Floor - basic tile; level 0; high weight at start; low weight increase; can have points, can be on main path

Wall - block tile; level 0; high weight at first; grows slowly; no points; can't be on main path

Pit - deathtrap tile; level 0; medium weight at first; grows slowly; no points; can't be on main path

Mud - when you step on it, your next movement is skipped; level 1; medium weight at first; grows slowly; can have points; can be on main path

Ice - slide to the next tile after it when you step on it; level 2; low weight at first; increases quickly; can have points; can be on main path, but not on corners

Breaking Tile - a basic floor tile, but once you step on it, it turns into a pit on the next action; level 3; medium weight at first; medium growth; can have points; can be on main path

Jump - when you step on this tile, your next movement jumps forward, skipping a tile; level 4; low weight at first; slow growth; can have points; can be on the main path; but only if the next tile is not a corner

Quicksand - when stepped on, your next input must be "SPACE", if not, you die; level 5; low weight at first; fast growth; can have points; can be on main path

That's all for design notes. I know they might make a little less sense than usual, I just wanted to write down whatever was on my mind. I also didn't actually have much time to think about stuff, being too busy paying attention to scenery and then getting really tired.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, as I start the Great Allegheny Passage trail, which is much more of a dedicated bike path than the C&O trail. I've looked up a few bike shops so I should be able to replenish my supplies (mainly bike tube patches), and will probably also try to find a time to go grocery shopping, as I'm running low on bread, apples, and peanut butter.

Til next time!

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runfast-runfar · 4 years ago

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Quarantine Days

5.5.21

✨ I hope you’re all doing well! Things have been going pretty well for me compared to the last few months! I’m feeling better mentally, still have my days but they are fewer and farther in between! And I’m really working on recovery from the ed which is going well so far.

✨ I know I haven’t done a daily post in a while and today was a nice day so I figured I’d do one today :)

✨ i splurged and got myself an Apple Watch yesterday and I am in love with it!! I love my Garmin forerunner but the running watches are all so big and chunky and I didn’t realize it until I tried on a friends Apple Watch recently and it felt SO much nicer! And I actually wore both my running watch and Apple Watch to compare running and climbing stats and they were literally identical so the Apple Watch accuracy is spot on which was the only thing that worried me! The only thing left is to set up the cellular feature on my watch! :)

✨ anyways back to today, I woke up to a text from my boss at 6:45am asking if I could swing by the store at some point today and I was low key worried I was in trouble. But I got there and she had bought vegan cookies from Sprinkles as a celebratory “you passed your bar certification and our now a barista” gift! (It happens for everyone when they do!) and she was so cute to be like “I made sure the woman making them knew they had to be vegan! I think she was annoyed with me by the end bc I repeated it so many times bc I know you’re vegan!” 🥺😭♥️

Yeah, so starting next week I’ll be on bar instead of on register now making tasty (hopefully) coffees for folks!

✨ I got these new pants that I’m obsessed with bc they’re cute but also comfy as fuck!!! It legit feels like I’m not wearing any pants haha

✨ I recently decided to really focus on strengthening my faith and honestly it’s been a huge comfort for me. I didn’t grow up religious, but when finley died I really began questioning a lot of things and some things happened that made me realize I do believe there is more out there and a higher being and since her death that curiosity has been sort of unwavering. Its been an exciting thing to explore and I feel that relationship with God is helping me with a loooottt of things I have struggled with for a while.

I totally understand religion and this type of faith isn’t what everyone believes, which is totally cool! You do you my friends! No judgement here! :) But it has been a huge life change for me.

And I personally feel that the people in my life right now are ones who God has had us cross paths for a reason, and those reasons are becoming more and more clear as I connect with those around me more.

✨ after journaling and bible journaling for a few hours I went on a run which was amazing!! I haven’t run in about 3 weeks, I’ve just been on long hikes, and it felt SO good!! I ran 3 miles and managed sub 9 min miles which wasn’t too bad for the first day back! And then went on a 4 mile walk!

✨ I open tomorrow morning at work (4am 🥴) so I’ll be making dinner, showering, watching an episode or two of Friends, then going to bed!!

✨ I hope you’re all doing well! ♥️

#me #life #personal #runner #running #vegan #recovery #mental health #climbing #climber #college #student #fitness #religion #faith #journaling

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wandernkevin · 5 years ago

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Last Year’s Misadventure on the Superior Hiking Trail

I sit here today at Trout Creek Camp on the Superior Hiking Trail, every time I come out here people say it will be flowing… yet again! Trout Creek is dry, I’ve never seen any water over there. Anyway, I’m here today on day 0, I never really count the first day because you have to get where you’re going before you head out, I mean I usually spend the night before on the trail then begin the real hiking. So, less than 2 miles today.

This is the most people I’ve ever seen at the Trout Creek Campsite, there is a group of 8 young people here and I see a lot of heavy gear, including, a full-size ceramic coated pot, the thing is HUGE! I ain’t seen one of the things since the last time I went to a group camp for a school trip.

I don’t plan on eating tonight because I ate way too much on the way up here, I knew that’s how it would go so I didn’t pack any food for today. Water on the other hand, well I’m drinking a lot, temperatures are great, nice and cool, but it’s been a while since I’ve been out here. I noticed my water filter is a little tight, hopefully, it doesn’t clog, the problem isn’t the filter, the problem is backflushing a filter with sink water, I’ve heard there’s too much gunk in sink water and it calcifies the filter, user error. Sawyers are getting cheaper these days so I’ll grab another one before my next adventure. Also, they have a fitting so you can backflush with your clean water bottle. I totally have to get one of those, it just makes so much more sense than the plunger.

Once again, I proved the scent proof bags I use for a food bag liner work. Because yet again a chipmunk hopped right passed the bag was laying on the ground. While we are on the subject of food bags, Trout Creek Camp can be a pain to find somewhere to hang your food.

Day 1, Trout Creek Camp to Devil’s Track

I lost the top to my phone mount, so… no cool overlook pictures. I left trout creek this morning and managed to make it to Devil’s Track! I had to descend into the canyon at Devil’s Track at night which seemed sketchy as the edge of the trail was pitch black. I can only assume there’s a cliff there. I’m very interested in seeing what’s out there, I’m staying at the west camp. It seems nice, today was my first ever 20-mile day! The new insoles are working great. Before I wouldn’t even have attempted 20 miles, my feet would start feeling like this after 10. Mission success, I’m not going to bother eating, I took a break at the Pincushion Mountain Trailhead and ate some jerky and banana chips there. Shame, I was looking forward to a hot meal. I managed to gather a liter of water in the dark, I drank half now and I already know I’m going to wake up in the night thirsty so I’ll save the rest for that, perhaps I’ll make the Ramen for breakfast.

Day 2, Let the Misadventure Begin!

I was doing so well, but my sawyer bag ruptured, the sawyer was just too calcified to work right, it too much pressure to filter the water and BAM, the bag separated at the top. It’s just sitting over there taunting me. I have some bad luck with water filters, on the thru-hike, last year, guess what? Yep, the filter failed. So now I have to turn back. Lesson learned, don’t backwash sawyers with tap water. Another lesson also finally learned, bring a backup for water treatment. Boiling does not count! It takes way too long to cover good ground when you have to boil. I’m thinking about iodine, it’s easy, fast and light. But it tastes horrible, I’ve used it before in a 2-week excursion in the Canadian side of Lake of the woods, fortunately, someone had a filter. That was a long time ago, back when the only filters available were like $300+ and clogged pretty fast.

Just remember, with important things like water when you are out in the wilderness, redundancy is key. What would happen if I needed to get off the trail ASAP and boiling was just delaying me? Could become a life-threatening situation pretty quick.

I was able to get off the trail, I hiked back to the Pincushion Trailhead, then through Grand Marais and most of the way to Cascade River State Park along Highway 61 before finally I was able to hitch a ride, two guys in a big truck really helped me out. Also, that was the third time I’ve had to hitchhike, so 3/3 success rate, I have nothing to complain about.

I already ordered a new filter, I’m waiting at base camp until it arrives, then I’ll head back out.

Although I failed to complete my challenge, from the beginning this has been about hiking 20 mile days, which I succeeded. Then completing the North Country Trail hike 100 challenge. So, there will be an update in route but nothing is gonna stop me from getting the 2018 patches. NOTHING.

The Updated Route

The new route is pretty much the same as the old one just shorter as I am running out of time to complete the 100-mile challenge. With my existing 40 miles the below route will total 100.7 miles:

Cascade – Bally creek pond 11.2 (Hike 50 Challenge complete) Bally Creek pond – Devil’s Track 10.5 Devil’s track – Kimball 9 Kimball – Devil’s Track 9 Devil’s Track – cascade 21 (hike 100 challenge complete)

One last push on the way back to cascade doing 21 miles, I know it can be done! I’ll have a nice state park campsite and a shower waiting for me when I get back.

Pre-Hike Again, in Grand Marais, Artists Point, and Cascade River State Park

I stopped in Grand Marais to eat some pizza with a view before heading to the campground. Artists Point is a great place to stop and eat some food from town.

This time I’m staying at the Cascade River State Park Campground, got site #30 non-electric, close to the showers, this is great for a tent, there’s a little spot inset in the back to set up. Also, in case you are wondering, the Cascade River State Park shower facility has always been clean and well maintained every time I’ve been here. It’s a newer facility and I have to say it’s my favorite out of the North Shore State Parks. I do have one problem though, the vending machine in the trail center used to have root beer, now it doesn’t and that is disappointing. I’m already settled in and don’t want to go back into town.

Cascade River State Park to Bally Creek Pond Camp South

I head out around 7 – 8 am, had a smooth start for the most part. The GoPro already died, it just can’t handle 40° nights…

I’m taking a lunch break alongside the cascade river, as you can see from the photo below, it was a nice place to teak a break!

Made it to bally creek pond camp south, I’m staying here for the night. Boy, it’s chilly with the wind blowing out here.

The water at the bally creek campsites comes from the pond, filtered with a sawyer it tastes earthy but clean. The CNOC bottle I got works great! It grabs 2 liters out of the pond real fast. Check out the Cnoc Outdoors Vecto 2L Water Container, 28mm, Orange on Amazon – https://amzn.to/2QOJGkG *.

I still have a breakfast bar, a cliff bar and a Ramen that I can eat today. I had a 400 calorie candy bar for breakfast so I have some extra food for today. I need to wait until at least 6 pm to make the Ramen. I want the warm food in the belly closer to bedtime. I’ll have to wait until then to use the new BRS stove – https://amzn.to/2yiQRui *. I boiled 2 cups at basecamp with it and I was impressed. I’m looking forward to using it the field.

A Rainy Day Back to Devil’s Track West Camp

Sleeping pad has a small leak, had to reinflate several times throughout the morning. I’m not going to be able to find the leak without soapy water, so I’ll just be dealing with it for now. I have the REI flash all season (regular wide), I do like it but people have had some problems with it. I’m hoping this is just a pinhole leak. Otherwise, if I can’t find the leak I’ll return it.

Oh, boy did it rain today! Started around when I left camp and stopped when I got to Devil’s Track West. My poncho did a great job keeping everything dry, it’s heavy but it works so well, I don’t really want to replace it. My hat worked beautifully as well, keeping my head dry from the rain. My shoes are soaked, not much I can do about that. I’m more concerned that the temps for the rest of the hike have lows down to 32° and my sleeping pad is leaking… If I could find the hole I could patch it.

Quite the Superior Hiking Trail Misadventure

I’m at Devil’s Track Camp West, AGAIN. It’s going to be a cold night at 34°, I timed the leak on the sleeping pad. It lasts 19 minutes until my butt hits the cold ground. I put my z-seat under there, that should buy me some time before my core touches the ground. It’ll be cold enough to instantly wake up. At that point, I will reinflate the sleeping pad. It’s too dangerous in these temperatures not having a trustworthy sleeping pad. Once again it’s time to turn around… The sleeping pad completely failed. It’s gonna be a rough night, I miss my x-therm, I should have just got the long version, that would have lasted.

At least the North Country Trail Hike 50 is complete…

Just missed the freeze!

Being out on the trail without a sleeping pad in freezing weather is dangerous, the ground will suck the heat right out of you, leaving you hypothermic. I pushed hard over 20 miles to get back to cascade, gear heavy with water from the rain days prior, boots soaked through, the big freeze incoming, and freezing lake winds the pierce right through your entire being. But I made it back so hey, I call it a success…

So I’m off the trail again, but I still have a reservation at Cascade River State Park Campground for Sunday. I’m going to day hike the remaining 20 miles, 10 on Sunday and 10 on Monday. I’ll still be pushing forward to cover the previous route but I won’t be camping on the trail, I’ll be in the nice warm camper car.

Pincushion Trailhead to Woods Creek Camp and Back

I spent the better part of two weeks trying to cross the bridge over the Devil’s Track river, and finally today there was no gear failure! It’s crazy to think I had gear fail in the same place twice in a row, the filter and the sleeping pad.

The views from this side of the river are spectacular as you can see from the photo of Devil’s Track Canyon and Lake Superior on the horizon. This was taken near the Barrier Falls Overlook, which at first was disappointing because you can’t see Barrier Falls, too many trees in the way. It took some effort to finally get out here given the gear situation but it was still well worth it.

After the hike, I stopped at the Angry Trout Cafe and had a bison tenderloin and it was absolutely delicious, so much that I had to share it here!

Lindskog Rd Trailhead 5 miles Out and Back

Today I was leaving Cascade River State Park to finish the hike and a wolf walked right up to my car! Got about two feet away and slowed down before continuing on up the entrance road. I was so stunned by the unexpected encounter that I couldn’t even grab the camera to shoot some photos. Part of me is disappointed I didn’t grab the camera, but it is more important to capture the memory of an experience in your mind before taking pictures, I’m an adventurer, I don’t consider myself a photographer. My adventure is more important to me that capturing it on film, but it would have been pretty sweet. Back to the hike!

This was a pretty average hike for me to be honest, the trail follows woods creek for a while. I noticed that the water is so much clearer here, I refilled my bottles at Duffree Creek and the water is almost crystal clear with just the slightest brown tinge from tannins in the water, which is common in the forest. The most notable part of this hike was the length of this unobstructed view of Lake Superior from the trail, I don’t believe this is even an “official” overlook, It’s just part of the trail.

Finally, I Finished to NCT Hike 100 Challenge!

This is the second year I have finished the North Country Trail Hike 100, and this year they also had the Hike 50 Challenge which I also completed. I think this is a great program that motivates not just people like me, but everyone to get out there and hike the NCT in their state. Minnesota is fortunate that the Superior Hiking Trail follows this route, not only do you get some nice patches, but you also get great memories and the best views in the entire state.

I’ve been many places in my lifetime and I still stand by my saying that the north shore of Minnesota is the most beautiful and unique place I’ve ever been.

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highschoolharrier · 5 years ago

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Adam Kedge is the head coach at Albuqueque Academy in New Mexico and has several trips to NXN in addition to a wealth of state championships for both boys and girls.

High School Harrier: You've been able to helm your programs to a combined 19 state titles in the past two decades. What has been the staple of success that has remained throughout that period?

AK: If there was one staple of our program it would be the value we place on our youth. As coaches we work endlessly to assure that our younger kids receive the coaching and attention they need in order to give them the best opportunity for future success.

HSH: You've coached squads that have qualified and placed very well at NXN years ago. What qualities did those teams have that made them so successful?

AK: Unity and accountability to others are the positive characteristics of any outstanding team. Our most successful squads originally consisted of a small core group of bonded and driven team members that elevated the workload and focus of the whole team. Past leaders were uncompromising of their expectations of their varsity peers, but also very supportive of team member’s individual struggles and setbacks.

HSH: How involved are you in team goal setting?

AK: For the majority of the season we keep goals simple and process related. Being a good citizen, a positive-spirited contributing team member, a consistent trainer are goals we work on daily. Get a little better today is often a theme. Relative to athletic accomplishments and winning, those are goals we talk about once the leaves begin to turn. We have a strong history of success at the state level making our performance related goals easy to come up with. Our kids want to be healthy, hungry, in the 7, and ready to run well at the NM State Meet. Usually, those teams and individuals that can excel at State are functioning on a high that can carry them into those later weeks in November. Accomplishments beyond early November relative to NXR, NXN, or Foot Locker are hugely dependent upon many factors falling into place perfectly.

HSH: Do you have any big regular season meets your team will be participating in this fall?

AK: For almost 20 years we’ve traveled 450 miles from Albuquerque to Denver, Colorado for the Liberty Bell Invitational. This year we’ve switched over to the Joe I. Vigil Invitational in Alamosa, Colorado. The total number of teams will be fewer, but three or four of the scheduled participants have NXN pedigree.

HSH: Do you have any athletes you believe are ready to have a breakout season?

AK: The boys squad returns 3 runners that have placed in the top-10 at the New Mexico State Championships; Julian Garcia (2017), Justin Hickey and Oliver Pilon (2018). Even with those three runners, the true identity of our team will be our depth in our 4-7 spots. Our girls are 3-time defending state champs and are working at replacing 6 varsity athletes. Grace Archibeck is our lone returning scorer and the young girls are working hard to build around her.

HSH: What is your philosophical approach to coaching that shapes how you run your program?

AK: The program is based on training that is both age and ability appropriate in volume. Total body health and injury free running are two main guiding principles. The objective is gradual and steady improvement over the course of the students’ high school career or beyond. Considerations are also taken into account for the stresses of being a student at a strong academic college preparatory school. Simply put, we stress consistency & gradual build-up over a heavy seasonal load that produces quicker results.

HSH: What is a sample week of training for your program during the cross country season?

AK: A sample mid-season week that includes a Saturday meet may look like this - - -

Monday: 3-4 miles of longer repeats (800’s, 1K’s, etc…), plus warm-up and cool down. Rest is generally slightly less than 1:1.

Tuesday: 5-7 miles of running followed up by short explosive hills & body weight calisthenics

Wednesday: 6-10 miles of steady pace running followed up with some strides on the track.

Thursday: 4-6 miles with some form of pick up or light progression in pace. More core or calisthenics.

Friday: 2 ½-4 miles, 6-8 x strides, More core or calisthenics.

Saturday: Warm-up, race, cool down.

Sunday: OYO (On your own). 0-10 miles depending on age, ability, and personal motivation.

Notes:

1. Our program has a large number of young kids including 8th graders. Some younger kids may do as little as ½ the total volume listed above.

2. Weeks that have Friday meets or off weeks will likely bump the mid-week longer run to Saturday and extend by 1-2 miles.

HSH: What type of mileage does your average top 7 runner do during their base phase?

AK: Average upper level boys are generally in the 40-50 mile / week range. Some motivated varsity members that have been in the program for 3 or 3+ years may occasionally get into the 60’s. With Albuquerque being hilly and over 5000 feet elevation, mileage in the 60’s is more than sufficient. Top 7 girls tend to be 5-10 mi. / week miles less, but may also incorporate a little more cross training on the exercise bike.

HSH: Do you have a staple workout you like to do with your program?

AK: Workouts at Albuquerque Academy attempt to address all major training components. We definitely utilize our hilly topography often, especially early in the fall. Once meets start it becomes a tough balance between working in everything we want to do and still find time for competitions on fresh legs. As we progress into the second half of the season many of our hilly runs and hill repeats transition into more race paced and race specific work.

HSH: What type of ancillary training does your team do?

AK: Our ancillary work varies from year to year. I’m always looking for new exercises. I tend to take routines implemented by coaching collogues and modify them to fit our athletes and our time schedule. Recently, I’ve gravitated back towards very traditional calisthenics that incorporate a wide variety of muscle groups all at once, things like mountain climbers, burpies, and a variety of lunges and push-ups. In addition, we have various planks and hip flexor routines that we do. Generally we try to work efficiently with most routines taking no more than 10-12 minutes total.

HSH: What do you think is the most important aspect of your training program?

AK: The most important aspect of ANY quality training program is recovery! Recovery, mainly in the form of recovery runs, ancillary exercises, and sleep.

HSH: I understand that you had brain surgery 15 years ago while you were coaching at Albuquerque. What impact did that have on your life and your coaching?

AK: In the event that I ever forget the date of my wedding anniversary I have a great excuse that the doctor took out part of my brain (he didn’t). Seriously, the tumor allowed me to value all aspects of my life. The 6 month process of recovering from a 2.5 centimeter brain tumor and the support I got during that time made me realize, with faith and family, I am never alone. The recovery process took time and clearly I became depressed. It wasn’t until I returned to the team, even if for 15-20 minutes a day, that I started to feel better. I count my blessings daily and enjoy serving others through teaching and coaching as much as ever. I work to be the best husband, dad, and man that I can. If I get close to being good at those things, being a good coach and having a good team will happen.

HSH: How much parent involvement do you have in your program?

AK: Our parents are willing to help out in a wide variety of ways. We’ve been blessed with a number of parents that take a special interest in photography and are willing to share them with all that are interested. We do tend to limit team activities outside of practice and meets due to our school’s advanced academic requirements. We keep organized team functions like team dinners to one or two a year. Parents do provide our team with meet day snacks and an occasional “bagel and chocolate milk day”.

HSH: What do you do to help foster team camaraderie?

AK: Much of what we do is not forced by setting up full team social functions (see reply above). Like most all XC programs, we have great kids that are genuinely nice and enjoy each other’s company. Our team is very supportive of one another and set the standard of sportsmanship that fosters team-to-team camaraderie.

HSH: Do you have any team traditions that you do each year?

Just last week most of our team hiked the 9 mile long La Luz Trail. The trail begins at 6300 feet elevation and ends at slightly above 10,300 feet. Our mid-season traditional workout is another big hill run called the Blue Tower. We begin at 6100 feet and climbs to 7100 feet in 1.7 miles. We’ve been doing the Blue Tower Run for 20+ years and the kids run it as hard as any race in order to be King of the Hill or Quadzilla. And late in the year we’ve switched out one of the more competitive invitationals for an informal triangular where we race for pumpkins.

#newmexico #albuquerqueacademy #adamkedge #crosscountry #xc

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newstfionline · 4 years ago

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Saturday, July 3, 2021

BC’s heat and fire (Washington Post) Lytton, British Columbia broke successive Canadian heat records early this week, with temperatures peaking at 121 degrees on Tuesday afternoon. Then the fires swept in. Lytton’s 250-odd residents were ordered to evacuate Wednesday. By Thursday, officials said most homes and structures in the town had been destroyed. “Our poor little town of Lytton is gone,” one resident, Edith Loring Kuhanga, wrote on Facebook. Lytton’s evacuation came amid a broader swath of wildfires.

Hundreds believed dead in heat wave despite efforts to help (AP) Many of the dead were found alone, in homes without air conditioning or fans. Some were elderly—one as old as 97. The body of an immigrant farm laborer was found in an Oregon nursery. As forecasters warned of a record-breaking heat wave in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada last weekend, officials set up cooling centers, distributed water to the homeless and took other steps. Still, hundreds of people are believed to have died from Friday to Tuesday. An excessive heat warning remained in effect for parts of the interior Northwest and western Canada Thursday. The death toll in Oregon alone reached 79, the Oregon state medical examiner said Thursday, with most occurring in Multnomah County, which encompasses Portland.

16 Injured In Botched Illegal Firework Detonation By Police (CBS News) At least 16 people, including 10 law enforcement officers, were injured and several cars and structures were damaged Wednesday evening when police attempted to safely detonate approximately 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks that were seized in South Los Angeles. “It felt like a really hard earthquake like we never felt before, said Jazmin Vazquez, a resident. Other neighbors said they were shaken out of their beds and rattled off their couches from the impact of the explosion.

U.S. Budget Deficit to Reach Near-Record $3 Trillion in 2021, CBO Says (Bloomberg) The U.S. will see a $3 trillion budget deficit this year, close to the 2020 record, while the economy will expand notably more than previously forecast, the Congressional Budget Office said as it incorporated the impact of President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 relief program. The deficit for the full 2020 fiscal year was $3.13 trillion, the biggest relative to the size of the economy since World War II. The totals amount to 13.4% of GDP in 2021 and 4.7% next year, and mark an increase from prior forecasts, as the CBO factored in the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which was passed in March.

Happy Birthday Eve, America (1440) Sunday marks the 245th commemoration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress. The Congress actually voted to separate from Great Britain two days earlier, and possibly didn’t sign the document until early August. Still, the country has since grown from 13 colonies and roughly 2.5 million people, to 50 states and 14 territories with a population of more than 330 million. The economy has swelled to almost $21T, and while income and wealth disparities remain an issue, economic output per person has risen by a factor of 30 over two centuries. Advances in public health have cut the child mortality rate from more than 45% to under 1%, and our citizens live 35 years longer on average. Educational attainment has skyrocketed, with more than 200 million people having at least finished high school, compared to 18 million in 1940. We’ve built almost 3 million miles of paved roads and more than 5,000 public airports. Millions of miles of power lines electrify the country and almost 80% of adults have access to broadband internet. In 1800, 95% of the population lived in rural areas; more than 80% now live in urban cities and towns.

Elsa strengthens into season’s 1st hurricane in Caribbean (AP) Elsa strengthened into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season on Friday as it blew off roofs and snapped trees in the eastern Caribbean, where officials closed schools, businesses and airports. It appeared headed eventually in the general direction of Florida. The Category 1 storm is the first hurricane to hit Barbados in more than 60 years, unleashing heavy rains and winds on the island and then on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which are struggling to recover from recent massive volcanic eruptions. The long-term forecast track showed it heading toward Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning, but some models would carry it into the Gulf or up the Atlantic Coast.

Drought Economy (Foreign Policy) When Mexico’s central bank hiked its interest rates last week, it cited the ongoing drought as a major inflation risk. Meanwhile, Brazil’s inflation has risen to over 8 percent annually amid drought-induced food and electricity price increases. Inflation is just one hardship that droughts are currently causing in the two countries and their neighbors: Lack of rain is also driving crop loss, migration, and more severe forest fires. The droughts and all their consequences are exacerbated by rising temperatures as well.

Sweden stunned by rare shooting of police officer as gang violence worries grow (Reuters) Swedish caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Lofven expressed outrage on Thursday over the killing of an on-duty police officer, a rarity in the Nordic country, calling it an “attack on our open society” amid growing concerns over gang violence. The police officer in his 30s was shot and killed late on Wednesday while on duty in Biskopsgarden, a Gothenburg suburb that has been plagued by gang violence in recent years and where police have had an increased presence. The crime has shocked a country where fatal attacks on police officers are rare, with three killed in the last 20 years, including Wednesday’s victim. Gang violence has been in the spotlight after shootings and explosives attacks that have sometimes killed bystanders, and has become a political battleground, with left and right each seeking to claim the tougher line.

Coronavirus cases rise in Europe for first time in 10 weeks (Washington Post) The number of new coronavirus cases increased across Europe for the first time in 10 weeks, the World Health Organization said Thursday, ending a stretch that had raised hopes the pandemic would recede as vaccinations were on the rise. New infections jumped 10 percent over the past week in the 53 countries that make up the WHO European region, the agency’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said in a briefing. He attributed the rise to increased mixing, summer travel and the rapid spread of the more contagious delta variant first identified in India.

US hands Bagram Airfield to Afghans after nearly 20 years (AP) After nearly 20 years, the U.S. military left Bagram Airfield, the epicenter of its war to oust the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, two U.S. officials said Friday. Afghanistan’s district administrator for Bagram, Darwaish Raufi, said the American departure was done overnight without any coordination with local officials, and as a result early Friday dozens of local looters stormed through the unprotected gates before Afghan forces regained control. “They were stopped and some have been arrested and the rest have been cleared from the base,” Raufi told The Associated Press, adding that the looters ransacked several buildings before being arrested and the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) took control. The withdrawal from Bagram Airfield is the clearest indication that the last of the 2,500-3,500 U.S. troops have left Afghanistan or are nearing a departure, months ahead of President Joe Biden’s promise that they would be gone by Sept. 11.

Anxious Afghans fear tomorrow; many seeking to leave (AP) Imtiaz Mohmand, just 19, makes a living selling melons out of a crate perched on his three-wheel motorcycle in the Afghan capital’s Kart-e-Now neighborhood. He only managed to finish Grade 7 before being sent to work to help support a family of 13. He has been robbed twice. Both times, his mobile phone was taken, along with his meager earnings of the day. In four days, he and four friends will leave Afghanistan. They have paid a smuggler to sneak them across the border to Iran and into Turkey. “There’s no job, no security here. There are thieves everywhere. I tried to make a living but I can’t,” said Mohmand, who has seven friends already on their way to Turkey. Mohmand’s frustration and anxieties run like a theme through most conversations in today’s Afghanistan as Afghans witness the final withdrawal of the U.S. military and its NATO allies. Afghans say international forces are leaving a country deeply impoverished, on the brink of another civil war and with a worsening lawlessness that terrifies some more than the advancing Taliban insurgency. The warlords with whom the U.S.-led coalition partnered to oust the Taliban are resurrecting militias with a history of devastating violence to fight the insurgents, who have made gains even in the warlords’ northern strongholds. Outside the Turkish Visa Center in Kabul’s city center, the road is crowded with four-wheel drive vehicles and new Toyota corollas belonging to the wealthier who are looking for visas to leave. Since the announcement of the final withdrawal, thousands of visa applications have inundated the Turkish Embassy in Kabul. Other embassies have also reported a dramatic increase. The closure of some Western embassies and warnings by others for their citizens to leave only deepen the sense of dread.

The Chinese Communist Party Is Scared of Christianity (Foreign Policy) As the Chinese Communist Party celebrates its centenary, Christianity—and other faiths—remain among the challengers it fears most. Religious controls have been part of communist practice since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. But since 2018, many churches have been shut down—mostly unsanctioned ones but including some officially recognized groups. Between 5,000 and 10,000 Christian churchgoers have been arrested, some prominent Protestant clergy have been given long prison sentences, and around two-thirds of China’s Protestants have resorted to underground churches in an attempt to avoid police harassment. Government officials have been asked to compile more details of worshippers, feeding into discrimination in employment, especially in official posts. All children under age 18 have been strictly prohibited from attending any kind of religious education—theoretically already the case but not strongly enforced beforehand. Religious leaders are now expected to spend more time extolling the CCP and Chinese President Xi Jinping personally than they do seeing to their flock. In some churches, icons of Jesus or Mary have already been replaced with portraits of Xi. The ultimate goal seems to be to suppress any kind of identity—religious, ethnic, or ideological—that might challenge the CCP’s authority, whether now or in the future. Chinese leadership have studied the fall of the Soviet bloc intensely and are well aware of the role both Catholic and Protestant faith contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.

Philippine Volcano Leads To Evacuations (NBC News) Mass evacuations were underway in the Philippines Thursday after the alert status was raised for the Taal volcano, located 45 miles south of Manila. Although it’s one of the world’s smallest active volcanoes, standing at only 1,020 feet, Taal can be deadly. An eruption in 1911 killed more than 1,300 people. In January 2020, Taal shot a column of ash and steam almost 10 miles into the sky, forcing more than 100,000 people to abandon their homes and causing widespread flight cancellations and heavy ash falls in Manila.

Australia locks out thousands more citizens as virus slip-ups mount (Washington Post) Facing outbreaks of the contagious delta variant and a floundering vaccination campaign, Australia moved Friday to further seal itself off from the world as its earlier success in tackling the coronavirus continued to unravel. Officials agreed to halve the number of people permitted to enter the nation under an already strict border policy that bars entry to nearly everyone except returning citizens, residents and their immediate families, who must quarantine for two weeks in a hotel at their own expense. Unlike many countries where the virus has long circulated in the community, Australia has pursued an aggressive suppression strategy of zero transmission, with low tolerance for even single-digit daily cases. Effective July 14, the number of international arrivals will be cut to about 3,000 a week, dimming repatriation hopes for some 34,000 Australians stranded overseas and many more who want to visit their loved ones but can’t get on a flight. The approach—which Morrison indicated would persist at least until year-end—has earned the country the tags “hermit kingdom” and “Fortress Australia.”

Railguns (AP) The U.S. Navy has mothballed its electromagnetic railgun program after spending around $500 million on R&D for the weapon, which uses electricity to fire projectiles at seven times the speed of sound. Instead, they’re funding hypersonic missiles, directed energy systems and electronic warfare. The key issue was that the operating range of 110 miles meant that a ship with a railgun would be in range of missiles, so, whoops. Another problem is that while a normal gun can be fired 600 times before needing a refurbished barrel, the prototype railgun had to be replaced anywhere between a dozen or two dozen shots.

#headlines #news

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unfolded73 · 7 years ago

Text

This Graceful Path (4/19)

Summary: Emma has just moved in with Mary Margaret and started working as a deputy in the Storybrooke sheriff’s department when she meets Killian Jones, the town’s introverted harbormaster. When a prominent Storybrooke resident is found murdered, Emma tries to juggle solving the case with new friendships, parenthood, and romance. A Season 1 Cursed!Killian AU.

Rating: Explicit per CSBB guidelines (violence, sex); more of an M on unfolded73’s scale. The sex, when we get there, is not extremely graphic in nature. Same with the violence.

Content Warning: This fic contains two major character deaths, one canon and one not. (You’re already past them.)

Total word count: ~ 75,000

Acknowledgements: Thank you to @j-philly-b for betaing this monstrosity. Thank you to @caprelloidea for all of the read-throughs and cheerleading; not sure I could have written it without your excitement early on. Thank you to @teruel-a-witch for the original prompt on tumblr which sparked this fic. Thank you to @pompeiiablaze for the wonderful art which accompanies Chapter 3 and also will accompany later chapters. Thanks to the CSBB mods (@sambethe in particular, who had to look at my check-ins) for your support and for enduring my neuroses.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 – AO3 Link

Chapter 4

She hadn’t had anything to wear to a funeral.

Mary Margaret had only had one black dress in her closet (she wasn’t really the type to wear black), so Emma had gone to one of Storybrooke’s clothing shops and bought the only vaguely appropriate things she could find on such short notice: an itchy blouse which she kind of loathed, and a black blazer that didn’t really even fit her, that she had to cuff the sleeves of so that they didn’t engulf her hands.

After Graham’s burial, she and Mary Margaret returned to the apartment, collapsing onto the sofa.

“This sucks.”

“Yeah,” Mary Margaret agreed, taking her hand. They sat in silence together.

“Did I tell you what Dr. Whale said about his heart?”

“That he had a congenital heart condition? Yeah, you told me.”

Emma turned to face Mary Margaret. “That must be why he had that weird idea that his heart had been taken out of his chest, right? He must have been feeling that something was wrong with his heart. Why didn’t I insist he go to the hospital? Maybe they could have caught it and saved him—”

“You did the best you could, Emma; no one could have done any better. When someone is in denial that they’re sick, there’s not much you can do.” Mary Margaret gave Emma’s hand a comforting squeeze.

“Do you know the first thing I thought while I waited for the ambulance that night?” Emma said. “I thought that somehow Regina was responsible. He’d been so convinced for a moment that Regina had stolen his heart; like literally stolen it, and then they had this big fight and he dumped her, and that whole night was so weird that I started to have this paranoid fantasy that somehow Regina had killed him.”

“But she didn’t, Emma. He was just unwell.”

“I know.”

“Although… I mean, I know you can’t talk about the investigation of Mr. Gold’s death, but do you think Regina…”

Emma grimaced. “I thought of that. Not that I had any reason to think she killed him, other than that she’s an evil witch. But Henry was with her that night; there’s no way she could have been out murdering someone in the woods without him knowing. Besides, I don’t think she would have had the strength for that kind of stabbing. It was… vicious.”

“And Graham? I mean, if he wasn’t in his right mind, if he was under Regina’s thrall somehow…”

“You’re suggesting Graham killed Gold?” Emma let go of Mary Margaret’s hand and shifted on the sofa, sitting forward. “What possible reason would he have—”

“None, of course, but he found the body, and if he was mentally unstable like you described—”

Emma shook her head. “He was sick, and it was making him confused. That’s a long way from murdering someone. Besides, whoever did kill Gold would have gotten blood on their clothes, and I think I would have noticed if Graham had been covered in blood when I met him that night at the crime scene.”

“True.” Mary Margaret gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be trying to be an armchair detective.”

“Please, I need all the help I can get. I took this job to help Graham hand out parking tickets and, I don’t know, deal with Leroy for being drunk and disorderly. Instead, I get a murder investigation? I don’t know the first thing about investigating a murder. I’m this close to googling ‘how to investigate a murder’.”

Mary Margaret patted her arm. “You’re clever, so I’m sure you’ll figure something out. In the meantime, you should at least take it easy the rest of today.”

“No, I can’t, I’ve gotta do something, I can’t just sit around. All I do is think about the way he collapsed in front of me.” She stood up, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to block out the sickening crack of Graham’s head connecting with the sidewalk. “It gonna be such a huge job now; I can see why Graham wanted to hire a deputy.”

“You could hire your own deputy.”

Emma rubbed her eyes, exhaustion pressing behind them. “Yeah, I might do that if I can figure out who I can trust in this town.” She glanced at her roommate. “Do you want to be a sheriff’s deputy?”

Mary Margaret laughed. “I think I’ll pass. So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to start interviewing people, establishing who had motive, who doesn’t have an alibi for the night that Gold was killed. And, much as I hate it, I guess I should start with Regina’s prime suspect.”

~*~

Killian sat across from her at the metal table in the interrogation room, looking around at the walls and at the big one-way mirror over her shoulder (not that anyone was on the other side — it was only her here now). Emma didn’t want to admit that this was the first time she’d been in this room as well. She leaned forward, her elbows on the table, hoping she looked more at ease than she felt.

“I’m sorry to have to call you in here, Mr. Jones. I’m doing all of these interviews in front of a camera,” she said, gesturing at the video camera she had set up, “for your protection as well as to keep a record of your answers.”

“Not sure why you’re choosing to interview me, but all right.”

She smiled tightly. “I’m working to establish who knew Gold, how they knew him, if they saw him the day he died, things like that.”

“I knew him,” he said, holding up his index finger, “I saw him monthly when he came by my office to pick up the docking fees I collect,” — he held up a second finger — “and I think I may have seen him coming out of his pawn shop a week or two ago.” Finger number three. “Can I go now?” He leaned back in a lackadaisical pose, but his eyes told a different story. He was nervous. But then again, who wouldn’t be nervous in his position, being interviewed by law enforcement about a murder?

“Can we back up a second?” She pointed at the video camera again. “Can you state your name and occupation for the record?”

He sat up and put his hands in his lap almost primly, which made Emma feel like he was making fun of her. “Killian Jones, harbormaster, Storybrooke, Maine.”

“Thanks. Now you say you handed over the docking fees to Mr. Gold? Not to the mayor’s office?”

He shrugged. “Mr. Gold owned everything in this town, I’m sure you’ve been here long enough to learn that.”

“And that includes the harbor?”

“Aye, I suppose it does.”

That seemed odd to her, that a town’s harbor would be privately owned, but she let it go. “How would you describe your relationship with Mr. Gold?” Emma asked.

“I didn’t have a relationship with him. He showed up, I handed over a bag with money in it. We barely exchanged a half dozen words each time. That’s it.”

“There was never a time you didn’t have the money or had some dispute with him about the amount? Anything like that?”

“No.” He frowned at her. “Why would you ask that?”

“Word is that there was bad blood between the two of you. I’m trying to figure out why that was.”

“There wasn’t,” he said, his jaw clenching. “Why would anyone say there was? I’m telling you, I barely knew the guy.”

Emma watched him carefully. He seemed to be telling the truth but hiding something from her at the same time. Regina may have had her own reasons for pointing the finger at Killian, she knew that, but there was something that made Emma want to keep questioning him. She decided to change tactics.

“How did you lose your hand?” she asked, glancing down at his prosthesis where it now rested on the table.

“Sailing accident.”

“When?”

“A long time ago, lass. Long before I came to Maine.”

“And how long have you lived in Storybrooke?”

His eyes drifted up and over her shoulder like he was trying to look through the one-way mirror.

“Killian?”

He shook himself, wiping his hand over his face. “Yes?”

“How long have you lived in Storybrooke?”

“Several years.”

She was sick to death of the vague answers she got from people in this town. “How many years?”

“What does it matter?” His jaw clenched again.

“It matters if you don’t want to answer a simple question for some reason.” She huffed in frustration and decided to veer to another topic. “Do you ever walk in the woods? For a hike, maybe?”

“No.”

There, she thought. That was a lie. She could almost always tell when someone was lying if she was paying close attention, and that had definitely been a lie.

“So you weren’t in the woods last Tuesday night?”

“No.”

Another lie. “Where were you? Between, say, three p.m. and ten p.m. on Tuesday?”

“My office and then my apartment,” he answered. She could feel the jiggle of his knee bouncing under the table, and a fine sheen of sweat had appeared on his upper lip.

“Did anyone see you in your office?”

“Not really.”

“What about after that? What time did you go to your apartment?”

“I don’t know, exactly. Five o’clock or thereabouts.”

“Do you drive or walk from your office to your home?”

“It’s barely a quarter of a mile. I walk. I don’t own a car.”

“Did you see anyone on the walk?”

“No.”

“What about in your apartment building. Did you see any neighbors? Any friends stop by?”

“No.”

“Call anyone on the phone? Use your computer? Watch Netflix? Play a video game?”

He threw up his hand in frustration. “No, but why does it matter?”

“Because if you were logged into some kind of account like that, it would help establish your alibi.”

“Why do I need an alibi for the stabbing of a man I barely knew?”

Emma’s heartbeat accelerated, and she tried her best to school her expression into neutral territory. “How did you know it was a stabbing?”

“I read it in the paper,” he said, his fingers drumming on the table.

“We didn’t release that it was a stabbing, Mr. Jones.”

“Well, I heard it somewhere! I don’t know!” He was very agitated now, spots of color high on his cheeks, sweat on his forehead. Had Regina been right? Had she caught the killer already?

“Where did you hear it, then?” It was possible that the information had gotten out via Dr. Whale or one of the paramedics who had handled the body, but if so she should be able to trace it back to them.

“I don’t remember!” Killian shouted. He seemed to fold in on himself, his face getting suddenly pale. “Saw the Crocodile. Know him anywhere,” he muttered.

“The what?” First wolves, now crocodiles?

“A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets.” His eyes were unfocused, almost like he had forgotten she was sitting in front of him. It reminded her eerily of the way Graham had behaved when he was convinced his heart was missing.

“Mr. Jones,” she said in a loud, clear voice. His eyes seemed to swim back to her from a long way away. “I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” she murmured, softening her tone. “I’m pretty good at knowing when someone is lying to me. Now, I’m asking again. Were you in the woods on Tuesday?”

“Yes,” he whispered.

“Why?”

“I went for a walk, like you said. And I saw…”

She waited several seconds before prodding him. “Saw what?”

“I saw the Crocodile.”

“What’s the crocodile?”

He shook his head as if to clear it. “I saw Mr. Gold. He was already dead. I swear to you, I didn’t harm him.”

Emma studied him. That appeared to be the truth. “Why didn’t you call the police?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t feeling well, and I ran. And later I thought… Honestly, I thought I imagined it.”

“Do you know what time it was when you saw Gold?”

He shook his head. “Maybe around four o’clock? I don’t know for sure.”

“So you were out for a walk in all of those miles and miles of woods, and you happened to come across a dead body that was a half mile off the hiking trail?” Just as Graham had happened to come across it, chasing after some wolf. How busy were those woods that day?

“I guess so,” he answered. “Miss Swan, I swear it, I didn’t kill anyone. Why would I?”

Emma narrowed her eyes. Again, he seemed to be telling the truth, but the circumstances were certainly suspicious. “I’m going to need to search your office and your apartment. If you’re really innocent, then you won’t have anything to hide, right?”

Nothing in his demeanor indicated any fear at that prospect. Still, she wanted to do it now, before he had a chance to get rid of any evidence. “I assume you walked here to the station?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She stood up from her chair. “Then you won’t mind riding with me. Come on.”

Leaving him for a moment in the main part of the station, she stopped by the supply closet to pick up the bag of evidence kits she’d tossed back in there the night of the murder. She scanned the shelves again. The other thing she’d learned (because as it turned out, googling ‘how to investigate a murder’ had been really pretty useful) was that luminol would have come in handy for looking for blood traces, even blood that had been pretty thoroughly cleaned up, but the sheriff’s department of Storybrooke didn’t seem to have any. She’d ordered some, but fat lot of good that did her now.

The car ride over to the harbor was quiet. Killian unlocked the harbormaster’s office for her, gesturing and giving her a shallow bow to indicate she should precede him into the office.

His office was really just a small room that was part of a building where it looked like boats could be brought in and repaired. It was neat and organized, with a shelf full of logbooks behind a simple metal desk. The desk itself was dominated by a large radio which she assumed was used to communicate with ships out on the water. Other than that, the only other things she saw were a pen cup, a stapler, and a travel coffee mug.

“Where do you keep the money you were talking about?”

He thumbed through his key ring and unlocked a desk drawer, showing her the blue vinyl zipper bag. In it was a mixture of cash and checks, with the pink copies of some old fashioned carbon-copy receipts. She spied a receipt book on the shelf and pulled it down to see that it was filled with matching originals, filled out in what must have been Killian’s neat penmanship.

She looked around a little longer, but there was really nothing else to see. There were no personal items: no pictures, no cards, no nothing. It was a depressingly spartan place to spend time.

“Okay, let’s go on to your apartment, then.”

After another short, silent car ride, they got out at a small duplex building near the beach.

“Who lives on the other side?” she asked as he unlocked his door.

“Guy by the name of Billy; he works down at the auto repair place in town.” Once again, he politely ushered her through the door. ��Good neighbor; he’s quiet as a mouse.”

“That’s lucky,” she said, looking around his small living space. Like the office, it was tidy and spare. He had a small kitchen that was open to the living area, and then a short hallway that presumably led to a bedroom and bathroom. From his main window, she could see the ocean. “Does it cost a lot to live down here by the beach?”

He shrugged. “It’s a little more, but the apartment is tiny so it balances out. I like being near the water; I find it calming.”

“Fan of boats, are you?” The only decoration in the room was a framed charcoal drawing of a tall sailing vessel, the sails unfurled and full as it was tossed about on a choppy sea.

“Ships,” he corrected. “And yes.”

She headed back toward the bedroom. Other than a discarded t-shirt on the floor, it too was clean. A few books were stacked on the bedside table, and the bed was neatly made. There was a laundry hamper half-filled with clothes, and she pulled a pair of nitrile gloves out of her bag and put them on before starting to sift through it. Killian watched her. “Was Gold your landlord?” she asked.

He nodded, looking uncomfortable. “Sure, like everyone else in town. Wasn’t he yours?”

Emma stopped, thinking about that. “I guess; I just moved in a couple of weeks ago. I give my share of the money to my roommate and she takes care of paying the rent. Did you ever have any kind of contact with him about the rent, or this apartment?”

Killian shook his head. “I rented it through the broker in town, and I mail my rent to a post office box. There have been a few maintenance issues, but I take care of them myself.”

Emma looked at each item of clothing, blushing faintly at the fact that she was rifling through a strange man’s underwear. She dropped each item on the floor as she examined it.

“May I ask why the fascination with my unmentionables?” Killian asked, a small smirk on his face.

“It’s not your… unmentionables in particular,” she said as she dropped a pair of dark blue boxer briefs. “I’m checking for blood on any of your clothes.”

“You think my master plan was to murder Gold, and then put the bloody evidence in my laundry hamper?”

“I don’t know; people have done stupider things.” She looked in each drawer, rifling the clothes, remembering the fact that Whale had written ‘short sword or dagger’ on the medical examiner’s report. Same story with the bathroom, the closet, the kitchen. She even checked the air vents and stomped around looking for a loose floorboard. No luck. If he’d hidden a sword somewhere, it wasn’t in his apartment.

“So, do I pass inspection?” he asked as her search wound down. “And more importantly, can I offer you a drink?” He held up a bottle of brown rum and a short glass, grinning at her in a way that she was sure most women found charming.

“I’m on duty,” she said with an eye roll, running her gloved hand along the back of the ship picture frame.

“After what happened to Sheriff Humbert, you must be working long hours. Surely you can knock off a little early today, having so thoroughly pumped me for information.” His tongue darted out and ran along his bottom lip.

“Gross,” she said, making another circuit of the apartment. “I don’t drink with murder suspects; it’s kind of a hard and fast rule of mine.”

“Surely I’m not still a suspect anymore; you’ve found nothing to implicate me.” He hooked his thumb in his belt, leaning back against the kitchen counter. Whatever had come over him during the interrogation, he seemed perfectly fine now.

She raised an eyebrow at him. Admittedly, the drink was tempting, as was the man. Which was exactly why she shouldn’t get anywhere near either. “Don’t get too cocky; I haven’t ruled you out.”

~*~

The Thanksgiving holiday intervened to take Emma’s mind off the murder case for a few days, leaving her free to fret over the fact that she was spending the holiday without Henry. She imagined him shut up inside that big house with no one but Regina for company for four days, imagined the two of them at either end of a giant table laden down with a huge Thanksgiving feast, eating silently. Emma at least had the boundless optimism and perfectly roasted turkey of Mary Margaret, and as she sat sipping from a glass of port and nibbling on a piece of store-bought pecan pie, she had to admit that this may have been her best Thanksgiving dinner ever.

On Monday she was finally able to see Henry again, resuming their semi-regular afternoon meetups at Granny’s after the end of his school day, before Regina expected him home.

“Did you have a good Thanksgiving?” she asked.

Henry shrugged. “It was okay. Mom let me stay up late and watch a movie, so that was cool.”

Emma felt a stab of jealousy in her gut. She wanted to be the one to let him stay up late, it occurred to her suddenly. She wanted to be able to sit with him and watch a movie. She wanted to be the one he meant when he said ‘mom.’

Henry was fiddling with the sugar dispenser, and he knocked it over, spilling sugar onto the table. Emma sighed, sweeping the sugar up and into her saucer.

“Sorry,” Henry said.

“No worries.”

The door to the diner rattled and she glanced up, seeing Killian Jones walking in. It was a bitterly cold day outside, but he only wore his simple leather jacket.

When he spotted her, his face lit up with a smile and he walked over to their booth. “Hello, Swan. Hello, Henry.”

Awfully friendly for someone I interrogated last week, she thought. And also—

“Wait,” she said. “You two know each other?”

Killian looked slightly sheepish. “Aye, I met Master Mills last summer. We don’t have an open library here in town, so with his mother’s— er, the mayor’s permission, I lent him some books.”

She did remember the set of bookshelves in his apartment that had been packed with books. She’d looked behind every one in her search for a murder weapon.

“Also, Killian taught me to tie some knots. He’s going to teach me to sail when I get bigger.”

“Is he now?” Emma looked back and forth between the two of them. “And Regina’s okay with this?”

Now it was Henry’s turn to look sheepish. “There’s no point in asking her until I have to,” he said.

“I would never take the lad out on the water without your and Mayor Mills’ permission, of course,” Killian hastened to add. “It’s just an idea I had since Henry seemed interested.”

Emma appreciated his inclusion of her in the decision-making process, but she really didn’t have any standing to offer permission as to whether Henry should take sailing lessons or not.

“Your order’s up, Killian,” Ruby called.

“Good afternoon to you both,” he said before leaving them to go pay at the register.

“What do you think of Killian?” Emma asked when he was out of earshot.

“Why, are you going to go out with him?” Henry asked.

“What? No!” She felt her cheeks flush. “He’s a little strange, that’s all.”

“I think he’s nice. He’s one of the few adults around here that talks to me like I’m a person.”

Emma turned around in her booth and watched him leave the diner.

“He’s Captain Hook, I think. I mean, he’s not in the storybook so I don’t know for sure, but that’s my best guess,” Henry said.

Emma swung back around and stared at him. “Killian is Captain Hook? Why, because of his hand?”

“Yeah.”

“He doesn’t have a hook, you know. Just a prosthetic hand,” she pointed out.

“Well, yeah, but that’s because of the curse.”

“Wouldn’t that make him the bad guy? You said he was nice.”

“I don’t know, I always thought Peter Pan was kind of creepy. Maybe the bad guy in Neverland isn’t who you think it is.”

~*~

“I can’t help but notice that Killian Jones is still walking around, free as a bird,” Regina announced as she marched into the sheriff’s station. The two of them hadn’t spoken since Graham’s death almost two weeks ago. Emma wondered if Regina had cared enough for him to even grieve.

Sighing, she put her pen down. “If you’re referring to the investigation into Gold’s death, I did question him. I also searched his office and his apartment. There was no evidence that he had anything to do with the murder, so of course, he was free to go at the end of it.”

Regina’s mouth pinched, highlighting a thin scar perpendicular to her severe lipstick line. “Not good enough.”

“He didn’t even seem to know Gold that well; he certainly didn’t have any kind of dark feud with him like you implied.”

“He’s lying,” Regina said through clenched teeth.

“I don’t think he is.” Emma thought about Killian’s initial lie that he’d been in the woods and seen the body, but she elected not to share that with Regina. That alone didn’t make him guilty. And when he flat out said he hadn’t killed Gold, she got no sense from him that that was untrue.

“You aren’t the sheriff, you know,” Regina said. “There will be a new election, and the townspeople get to select a new sheriff to succeed Graham. If you think that’s going to be you, an outsider with a criminal history, then you’re in for a rude awakening. Good day, Miss Swan.” With that, she stalked back out of the station.

Chapter 5

#csbb #cs ff #captain swan ff #this graceful path fic #cs s1 au #my fic

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travelsofablonde · 5 years ago

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Royal Pain

WOW! I’m actually able to do more than one blog today! But only because I HAD to do laundry tonight because we leave for a week in London tomorrow morning. BTW it’s 8:30 pm here and the sun is still out and we got back from Conwy and Caernarfon about 30 minutes ago--I’m exhausted!

Anyway! This post is about what happened AFTER we check in to the hostel in Edinburgh and pretty much the events of that first day. I may end up breaking this into multiple posts depending on the length.

SOOO After arriving in Edinburgh we basically threw our bags into a room at the hostel (because they weren’t done prepping everything for us) and then we started the hike (and I mean freaking HIKE) up to The Royal Mile.

The Royal Mile is basically this massively long street (I’m guessing it’s a mile long but it seems like it might be 2-3 miles to me) going all the way from Edinburgh Castle at the top, down to Holyrood Palace at the bottom. And all along the way are pubs and small museums (a few old grave yards) and shops. Lots and LOTS of shops! It’s basically your must see spot if you’re a first timer in Edinburgh. So, I didn’t know this at the time, but there’s a short cut from the hostel to the mile that’s WAY easier but for the first time Dr. Mann had us march the hardest way imaginable. But it’s kind of also the coolest. So we leave the hostel to grab a fast snack several streets over at a Sainsbury’s (convenient store) and then head back down hill to cross princess street and head towards the Waverley Steps (train station entrance). But we don’t go in and instead cross the bridge over the water to the older area of the city. This is where it got difficult because it became a straight up hill walk on a teeny tiny sidewalk filled with tons of other tourists trying to get on tour busses on what actually ended up being a pretty warm day (for Scotland).

We stopped at a cross walk and listened to Dr. Mann talk about the history of the city and then we crossed up to this group of buildings with a dark but very old and very interesting stone stairway in between them. Obviously we climbed that upwards as well and I didn’t think we’d ever stop climbing when suddenly i’m stepping through a door frame (without a door) onto a busy street! We were right there just below Edinburgh Castle at the top of the mile!

It was full of people speaking Scots speak, Gaelic, English, and a billion other languages and the most amazing scents! I could smell bread and whiskey and chocolate and so many other things! We took a few minutes to rest and then we began our descent. This was much easier because we were going at a much slower pace (Dr. Mann’s Calves of Magical Olde are too fast for us) and obviously it was downhill.

But let me tell you guys... my feet. My poor poor poor exhausted feet were KILLING me. In fact most of the walk I could barely focus on the sights and was concentrating only on my painful feet. Thus the name of this blog.

On our way we passed the burial place of the great John Knox, the leader of the Scottish Reformation (and possible founder of the presbyterian church) who died in 1572. Unfortunately his grave stone (and i’m fairly certain his actual grave site as well) is now in a parking lot between St. Giles Cathedral and some Scottish government buildings. He is specifically buried under Slot #23!

For those of you who have been reading my blog (hello to all 2 of you!) then you already know I’ve done a post bout what happened next--- we went to Holyrood Palace and Abbey Ruins. If you haven’t been reading my blog (WELCOME FIRST TIMERS!) then please scroll down to find that blog. I honestly can’t even remember the title right now... but we’re going to skip ahead to what happened after Holyrood.

Upon leaving Holyrood most of the group meandered back UP the royal mile to head to our dorms. I was really not in the mood to keep up with he of the magical calves of older, our lord and sovereign Henry VIII aka Dr. Mann. He just walks to damn fast. SO me and the illustrious Ray (Rayanna for those not keeping up) decided I would go with her to check into her Airbnb and just kind of take our time. ***SIDE NOTE: Ray is one of the oldest people on our trip. She’s 48 (I think?) and is a graduate student of both of my professors and therefore was granted special permission to get her own accommodations as she saw fit through out the trip while also having a bed in the dorms and hostels if she should need it.***

So Ray and I set about walking slowly up the mile at our own pace and taking in the different shops vying for our attention and that of every other tourist looking to burn some notes on the mile (apparently cash is called a note, not to be confused with the coinage). We finally discovered her Airbnb entrance right behind a Starbucks (actually above it once you climb the 44 stairs -- yes she counted them). It was a quaint little place and had everything she’d need for a few days in country and after resting and letting her settle in we headed back to the dorms to grab her suitcases.

This also was perfect because Dr. Mann decided he was going to take us out to eat on the universities dime! There is nothing college kids love more than free food. Especially when someone else is cooking it. The funny thing isn’t that he chose a place on the mile, but that he chose a place that cooks Mexican food! In the middle of Edinburgh, Scotland our entire study abroad group, including one alumni and the significant others of both professor are shoved into the backroom of Poncho Villa’s Mexican Restaurant where a group of (INSANELY TALENTED) Spaniards made us the most delicious Mexican dishes and kept the margaritas coming (we had to buy the ourselves because the university can’t buy booze).

Oh.. they also had sombrero’s on the back of several of our chairs that they encouraged us to wear so of course we did!

That was pretty much it. After that we went back to the hostel to rest and if you’ve been reading the blog then you now all about the hostel adventures!

That’s all for tonight. It’s now 9:23 at night.. my clothes are still not done.. I haven’t eaten (thank God Hannah Ricks is making fried chicken for us back in the dorm kitchen) and i’m so so tired. And I really need a shower. I was totally going to post a photo of the hot mess I look like right now... but I thought better of it because it’s pretty bad. Today was a long and rough day and I don’t think I’ve ever gone up so many stairs in my entire existence. But that’s a story for another blog post. Probably several days late like this one. So in the words of another Brit we all know and love, TTFN -- Ta Ta For Now!

-Chey

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backroadblues · 8 years ago

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June 4th, 2017 - Heidelberg, Germany Elisa and I both slept well tonight. We didn't have anything specific on the agenda today other than making sure we got into Heidelberg by around 12:00 noon so we could meet with one of Elisa's long lost High School friends - Terri Rooney and her husband Gary Fowler. Elisa and Terri had lost touch with one another in about 1979 or 1980. Both she and Terri were moving to different locations and they simply fell out of touch. When we began planning on our trip to Europe, for some reason her friend Terri popped into her head and although she had searched for her many times on the internet, Facebook, etc. all her searches came up empty. This is largely due to the facts that Rooney is such a common name and all of her searches would be overwhelming. Nevertheless, something was urging her to do another search. This time she searched while adding another piece of information that she remembered about Terri and that is that she was in the Navy at one point in her life. This time the search produced some new results - Elisa was led to a webpage on Bank of America's website. The page was celebrating its employees who were U.S. Military Veterans. Lo and behold, up pops a faded photo of her friend Terri, from when she was in the Navy. The page indicated that Terri was now a Sr. Vice President with BofA and working in......wait for it.....Germany of all places. It is so strange, that Elisa got the premonition to do another search prior to our taking a vacation to Italy and Germany. (Cue eerie music). How wierd. So now we at least knew that in 2014, when the webpage was created her friend Terri was working for BofA in Germany, managing banking operations for US military bases. Now the problem was to figure out how to get connected. It just so happens that our daughter Krista's fiancé's mother Connie also works for BofA. So Elisa gets in touch with her, and Connie explains that there are strict rules at BofA that prohibit her from distributing personal information about other employees - totally understandable. However, Connie is able to use the information to find a LinkedIn page for Terri. Bingo, Elisa is able to use that to message Terri. Our only concern is that if Terri is like us, we don't look at our Linkedin messages that often. We are in luck and within a week or two, Terri responds and the two are reconnected - after some 37 years. The two catch up via email on each other's life story and plans are made to meet when we are near the Frankfurt area. How exciting. So, today is that day, when the two will finally see one another again and Elisa is filled with anticipation. We get up around 6:30 am, we take our time getting ready and eating some breakfast. I'm busy reading the news and at 8:30 she says let's get going. We aren't scheduled to meet with Terri and Gary until 12:00 in Heidelberg. So, we decide that we will go early so we can visit the Heidelberg castle before we get together with them at noon. We leave the house by a little before 9:00 and we are headed up the hill to find parking near the castle by around 10:00. Most people park down in the Altstadt and take the funicular train up the hill to the castle. We opted to search for parking up near the castle entrance since it is near opening time. We are in luck, we find a great parking space (thank you Minerva) right near the entrance - and it is a free parking spot. The castle sits about 300' above the city of Heidelberg, and as we make our way into the grounds we are taking photos along the way. We pay for our admission and pick up an audio guided tour of the grounds. The castle is really amazing. They are largely in ruins, but great efforts have been made starting back in the late 1700's to preserve the ruins as opposed to reconstructing them. Some items, such as some of the statuary are remade to create an accurate historical record of the castle. Construction of the castle was commenced around around the late 1100's. It was periodically destroyed by fire and war but rebuilt. By the 1600's the then Kings made very elaborate additions to the castle. However by the early 1700's the castle would again be destroyed by the French who had taken it in the "Nine Days War". Which came after the Thirty Years War. I'm going to have to study up on the history...all these wars seem to have to do with the feudal system that emerged in Germany where you had a bunch of rich guys holding rule over people in an area and a political struggle that emerged between the Holy Roman Empire and the Palatine rulers - oh and then throw in hostilities from neighboring countries from time to time. Anyhow, this time the French really did a number on the castle, they exploded the powder magazine which blew one of the huge stone towers completely in half. They then set a number of fires. There are stories though that suggest that one of the French general that was leaving told the villiage towns people to light fires so the smoke from their fireplaces would make it appear that the castle fires were larger then they really were. Supposedly, the General wanted to leave enough to the beautiful and might castle behind for the sake of history. This time, the castle would never be rebuilt, however by the later 1700's efforts were made to preserve the ruins and it would become a visiting ground for philosophers and writers of the day - including Johan Von Goethe the famous German statesman and writer/philosopher. Our tour of the castle was really interesting. We got to see the mighty giant wine barrel. One was original and it was the "tithe barrel", where growers and wine makers that served the lord of the castle would have to bring 1/10th of their harvest to be turned into wine and poured into the great barrel. This thing is huge and lore indicates that it was only filled 3 times in its existence - by the way the wine wasn't very good. In the 1800's an even larger barrel was built to celebrate the church. That barrel was never filled with wine - its a good thing because it is the size of a small house. There was also a "traveling exhibit" at the castle that detailed the history of the "Apoteke" or pharmacy. This too was very interesting. It provided educational details on the history of medicine making. There were recipes using different types of plants to cure various maladies that date back to 120BC. The ancient Greeks began accumulating these recipes from faraway lands in Africa and Arabia. The Romans would enslave Greeks to be the modern day equivalent of doctors for the Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius would endeavor to create the first collective library of medicin making and the collection of the plants and other natural materials that would go not these locations. The science would continue - there would be setback in the early ages - when religious fervor would look down on man made cures. However, by the 1500's the pharmaceutical business was back in business. The museum included private collections of entire "drug stores" of different time periods starting in about the 1500's. It was very interesting and a real highlight. Based on my web research, this exhibit has been here for some time. By the time we were done, we notice it is going on 11:30 and we needed to find our way down the hill to get to the restaurant where we would be meeting Terri and Gary. Unfortunately, our internet connection is down on our phone and we can't get the map coordinates for GPS plugged in. After heading blindly down the hill we make several wrong turns but finally we have a good enough connection to get the GPS working again - and none too soon because we were already attracting a toot of a couple of horns based on my meandering the streets of Heidelberg. We make our way over the Rhein River and find the meeting point, but there is no parking. We find a spot a few blocks away (thank you Minerva) and we head over there. The two spot one another while we are still about 100 yards away. We all rush together and hugs are exchanges and tears are falling - the two are so happy. Gary and I shake hands and get to know one another as well. The plan is for us to take a short hike on the Philosophers Way in Heidelberg. This paved walking trail was a favorite hangout for the famous philosophers and writers of the day - back in the 1800's. We can understand why, after you make the steep up-hill hike, the views are wonderful. At the summit we have a commanding view of the Rhein River, "Old" Heidelberg, the cathedral and of course the castle. It really is breathtaking. The forecast included rain, and it was cool and rainy when we left the house, but by the time we are making our way up the hill the clouds parted - a little bit - and the rain stopped. (Thank you Minerva). This is the Germany I remember from when I lived here - the days of blue skies and warm weather were far and few between. The hike is about 2-1/2 miles and it take us up a steep hill for about 3/4 of a mile, the next 3/4 of a mile is a flat to gentle uphill slope and next 1/4 mile is pretty steep downhill and the last 3/4 is flat and takes you along the riverside and leads us back to our restaurant - River Cafe. By now, it is around 1:45 and we are ready for lunch. Gary and Terri had held their annual Cinco-de-Mayo party the night before - it was delayed due to Gary being back in the States in May. Their German neighbors love and look forward to it every year. Apparently the Germans love Mexican food. Who would of thunk it. So, we are glad that they could make the trip down to Heidelberg to meet us. The restaurant is small and cozy and has a menu that leans a little Italian and little French. Elisa decides to go light and orders a shrimp and avocado salad - (we have been missing avocados). Terri and Gary also get a salad - Gary has Caesar with Chicken and Terri one with goat cheese. I opt for some sautéed veal steams with fingerling potatoes wrapped in crispy bacon. I have to say that the Germans do potatos very well, there potatos have a unique, almost sweet tast to them. I also order some grilled vegetables for Elisa and I to share. I wash mine down with a great .5 liter of blond pilsner beer - delicious. The food is great and we all enjoy it. We dine at a leisurely pace, and the restaurant does not mind. After eating we stay another couple hours catching up and filling each other in on our lives, kids, likes, dislikes, etc. Before you know it, it is going on 5:30 - talk about a leisurely lunch. We loved it and had a great time. Before parting, Terri and Gary give us a great suggestion to catch one of the Rhein River boats in Mainz and to make our way slowly up the Rhein to Koblenz. We can hop on and off the boats that run regularly up the river. We'll spend about 5 hours doing that tomorrow and hopefully make our way to a castle here and there along the way up. Then we will stop by Terri and Gary's place on the way back from Mainz and have dinner and some Karaoke at their place. It turns out they met each other and fell in love singing karaoke 25 years ago. Elisa's eyes light up - she has found kindered spirits because she too loves karaoke. Unfortunately, my talents in this area are non-existent but I make a great and enthusiastic audience. I'm looking forward to it as well. So that is all for today. our step count was at about 12000 steps or 6 miles. Not a bad day. Aufwiedersehen for now!

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alterlovelouis · 8 years ago

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random stuff

it's 11:48 pm on a Sunday. I'm at 6%. Tomorrow is Monday and I don't wanna go to school. My little brother turned 3 today. On Saturday I went on a 9 mile hike/run with my footie team and I think I broke a small bone in my toe/foot. My best friend is pissed off at me because I won't tell her about a boy that I like lol. I've come to realize that I just use tumblr as a place to get my random thoughts out, it's nice. I wish I had an internet friend. Had some in the past but we've lost connections and one was a bit crazy. I'm so behind on my rp's bleh. I have a state exam on Tuesday, kind of nervous, I hope I do well. It's based on revising and editing, along with an essay, and those are some of my strengths so yeah, I think it'll go well. I wish it would rain. I can't wait for April, I just feel like that month will be so great. Also I can't wait for summer break, school stresses me out. It's 11:54 pm now. I honestly wonder if anyone will read this, and if you do, thanks lmao. I'm pretty random and bored and like writing my thoughts in places. Oh, also the reason I won't tell my best friend about the guy I like is because he always talks about her and added me on snapchat just to ask if she liked him so yeah. I'm pretty happy with life at the moment, I just really wish I had a whole week where I could just sleep, rp, and read. this post is a lot longer than I intended, but whatever. I feel like I'm mature for someone my age. I mean, I'm only 15 and I probably sound stupid saying that, but so many of my friends at school are so closed minded and can get very childish over the smallest things like politics or beliefs or whatever. I'm really craving sour gummy worms. And peanut butter ice cream. I need a new fic to read, preferably a bit angsty and bl. But happy endings. those are nice. its 12 am now and I have to get up in 6 hours. Sad. I guess I should end this here lol. If you actually read this all, which I doubt anyone did, thank you for reading my late night ramble of random-ness. feels good to write some stuff out, even if it's totally pointless.

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ievenranthisfar · 8 years ago

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My Aconcagua Adventure: Day Ten, Things Change Fast

Note: I’m publishing my entire Aconcagua journal serially. If you want to read from the beginning, start here.

2/7/17 – Day Ten

Fortunes change in an instant.

After a somewhat rough night of sleep up here at 5,400 meters [17,716 ft] above sea level—my head was racing and I thought to myself, “Is this what cocaine is like??”—we set off midday to cache the last of our food and fuel up at Camp Colera [Camp 3, 19,357 ft]. The schedule was to be as follows: cache today, more camp to Colera and sleep there tomorrow and then the following day, attack the summit.

The hike up was exceedingly pleasant. We moved at a slow cadence up the wall of rock towards our high camp. Along the way, the trail crisscrosses great fields of yellow, sulfurous rock. The smell is rather subtle, and I find it oddly pleasing.

The hike it was about 500 vertical meters [1,640 ft] and just a little over 2 km [0.6 miles] and offered up breath-taking views of the surrounding Andes. It was really the first day I started to get the sense on being on top of the world. As you look out over the vast landscape, you realize that you’re the tallest thing around. A pretty incredible feeling.

We passed through the mostly abandoned Camp Berlin and continue on a little farther, using huge metal cables to finally reach to Camp Colera, perched high atop a little lip. Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes up, better than the guidebook’s predicted time of 2-4 hours.

After stashing our cache under some rocks, we took off down the mountain feeling great about our chances of a summit bid in two days. We felt strong, we felt confident, and we could even see all the way up to the peak from camp.

The summit in view

However, just as we were re-entering Nido, we were stopped by a couple of Slovaks(?) who asked where we had come from and what our schedule was. We told them, to which they responded in broken English, “Oh. Our plan was same too. Summit Thursday. But forecast say 50 centimeters of snow Thursday.” W. T. F.

So we ran down to the lower end of camp to find Avo and Joyce still huddled in their tent. We asked if they had the full forecast, which they produced. Not good. Heavy snow Thursday and Friday. So much that their guide Chavi refused to take them up until Sunday.

Winds listed in kilometers per hour for morning, afternoon and evening

Suddenly our plans were—yet again—torn asunder. Our options were either wait till Sunday (five days!) for the storm to blow through or call a very quick audible and go for the summit tomorrow, starting from here at Camp 2. The thing is, waiting till Sunday is of course a huge gamble. We don’t have enough food to last that long, and we’d just barely catch our flight home. Also, there’s no guarantee the conditions would oblige then either.

A summit attempt from Nido isn’t totally unheard of. Some teams do it to avoid having to sleep so high at Camp 3 before summit day. Basically, leaving from here tomorrow would give us one less day of acclimatization and tack on 500 meters [1,640 ft] and 3 hours to our already long summit day. It’d also necessitate that we leave around 4 am.

Neither option was ideal. Or even good. Or decent. But after slowly turning everything over in our heads, we knew our only shot at the summit would be going a day early—tomorrow.

So now here we are, packing. We’re obviously fairly more anxious now. The idea of an early start is thoroughly unappealing. And the move puts us at greater risk for altitude sickness—gaining more than 5,000 feet in one day. But it’s our only shot.

So, we’re going to do it. We’re going to do it smartly, methodically and judiciously. No mountain is worth getting hurt over. So tomorrow, the big adventure begins and ends.

Current pulse ox: 74% / 64 bmp.

Time to climb this thing once and for all.

And just like that, things change again. After texting back and forth with Michael’s wife via our GPS beacon, we got her to check MountainForecast.com for us. It seems like Thursday may be clear after all. The guardaparques who came around and checked on us also said snow on Thursday afternoon. So, if we can make it up and down off the summit in time, we’d be good. Also, a rest day might do us good.

We’ve been talking to an Oregonian dude in the tent next to us who summited today, starting here in Nido. Sounds like it’s his second time here on the mountain. We got some good tips and perspective from him.

So, after getting the Mountain Forecast and chatting with our new friend Brock, it sounds like we’re going to rest here tomorrow and then assault the mountain on Thursday, turning around if things get bad. The winds should be better Thursday than Wednesday, and that’s our biggest concern. It’s already cold up there no matter what. But if we can hit kinder winds (relatively speaking), it’ll be safer. Brock said he hit some really bad winds today on the large traverse just below the summit that made him really concerned about getting frostbite on his face. Nonetheless, he made it up from here in 6 hours, 36 minutes, which is crazy fast. (He took a more direct route and also knows the mountain pretty well.) But that gives us hope for about 9-10 hours up and 2-3 down.

So once again, we’re playing with a new hand.

Maybe that will give me time to finally wash my balls tomorrow. They need it.

#Aconcagua #SevenSummits #hiking

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wmdating360 · 4 years ago

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Castle Rock Dinner Dating

TripBuzz discovered 90 different types of activities for couples in the Castle Rock area, including Art Gallery (like Art On The Edge), Parks (like Rock Park), Hiking Trails (like Plum Creek Trail) and Movie Theaters (like AMC Castle Rock 12), and much more.

We discovered a total of 85 date ideas in or near Castle Rock, Colorado, including 76 fun or romantic activities in nearby cities within 25 miles like Littleton, Englewood, Parker and Aurora.

0.0 Miles View Deal

GMP Acting ClassesCobblestone Ranch, Castle Rock, COMoreLess Info

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Experienced actress and producer, known for The Earth Is Flat (2017) and After Dust 2 (2011), conducts acting classes

4.5 Miles

Dodds Wine Vault

Winery/Vineyard872 W Happy Canyon Road, Castle Rock, CO 80108MoreLess Info

At Dodds Wine Vault, visitors can sample a wide selection of wines and a few beers in its tasting room. The tasting room has a sommelier that will provide advice based on the visitor's preferences.

2.4 Miles

AMC Castle Rock 12

Movie Theaters3960 Limelight Avenue, Castle Rock, CO 80109MoreLess Info

Featuring 12 auditoriums, AMC Castle Rock 12 offers first-run feature films using digital projection. The theater provides stadium seating, a game room, private event hosting and a concession area with food and drinks.

3.8 Miles

Dream Masterz Magic Team

Theaters3721 Starflower Road, Castle Rock, CO 80109MoreLess Info

With a number of entertaining skits and tricks, Dream Masterz Magic Team is chock full of fun and laughter. Guests will see juggling, ventriloquism, mind reading, circus performers, and more.

0.5 Miles

Rock Park

Parks1710 Front St., Castle Rock, CO MoreLess Info

Nature lovers love visiting Rock Park in Castle Rock, Colorado. It features a difficult trail that circles the eponymous rock formation. Dogs are welcome but must be leashed at all times.

0.2 Miles

Art On The Edge

Art Gallery314 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, CO 80104MoreLess Info

A venturesome art guild, Art On The Edge has the mission of using art to heal, communicate, and level. Programs included classes for children and teens, drawing, painting, photography, mixed media, and framing,

0.1 Miles

Once Upon A Horse

Horseback Riding376 3rd Street, Castle Rock, CO 80104MoreLess Info

With horses and ponies boarded at its stables, Once Upon A Horse offers educational programs to children to teach them animal safety and horse care. In addition to private lessons, visitors can schedule birthday parties that include horseback riding.

0.3 Miles

Heritage Gallery

Art Gallery611 N Wilcox St, Ste E, Castle Rock, CO 80104MoreLess Info

The Heritage Gallery is an art gallery that features the works of local artist who have traveled the west gaining inspiration for their pieces. Wildlife prints and fine art landscapes are the primary focus of this Castle Rock art space.

2.2 Miles

Ridgeline Open Space

ParksCoachline Road, Castle Rock, CO 80109MoreLess Info

With interlacing trails for hiking and mountain biking, Ridgeline Open Space offers 370 acres of valleys to explore. The trails offers views of the surrounding mountains and has wildflowers growing on the ridge in the spring.

2.1 Miles

Plum Creek Trail

Hiking Trails3517 Mt Royal Drive, Castle Rock, CO 80109MoreLess Info

Visitors can walk or bike the paved six mile path at Plum Creek Trail, which takes visitors through lower Sellars Gulch and East Plum Creek. Information stations and educational materials help birdwatchers identify avian species residing along the path.

7.7 Miles

Bayou Gulch Regional Park

Parks4815 Fox Sparrow Road, Parker, CO 80134MoreLess Info

Located on 205 acres, Bayou Gulch Regional Park features over 6 miles of trails, a basketball court and fields for baseball, football and soccer. It has picnic facilities, a playground and a 2-acre dog park.

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dog-and-pony · 5 years ago

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Becoming an “Akita Mom”

“Dogs do speak, you just have to listen with your eyes instead of your ears and think with your brain rather than your heart.”- Haylee Lubrano

“What made you choose an Akita?” I am frequently asked this question, and honestly, It was kind of fun to think back on the journey I have been on in the last 5 years that got me to where I am today, sitting here in my chair, typing up an article with The Late Show playing on the T.V. and my trusted and deeply loved Akita asleep at my foot. 5 years ago, I had a very different reality-

Starting at the beginning would bring us back to the summer of 2014. I had a client whose son had impulse bought an akita puppy, and he was not prepared or capable of caring for and training it properly. She asked me to help her find it a new home, and I fell in love immediately and took him home with me, since I had the time and room (and have always been fascinated by this breed if I’m being honest.) They are not a super common breed in my area, and he was the first one I had seen in person in an awfully long time.

Upon arriving home with my new puppy, I got right to work finding and joining as many breed specific groups as I could find, to gain a deeper understanding of this very un-dog-like breed. Akitas carry themselves in a hugely different, almost cat like way, and are proud and independent animals. Having previously been a border-collie/ herding breed fanatic it was an utter culture shock. Akitas like to be asked politely, not told. Akitas are just as happy having a day in- vegging out on the couch with you, as they would be going out on a hike in the wilderness. Training an akita was a totally different ball game.

In no time at all we had bonded, and although he was already showing some signs of future hip issues that would more than likely keep him from being a working dog, we had formed a connection, and he was going to be my forever dog- Until one night every akita owners biggest fear became reality; Kenai bloated*. He was only 9 months old, but by the time we had made it to the emergency vet (we were living rural) any sort of intervention was already futile. Torsion* had already began, and once it does there is almost zero chance of survival, and of the very few survivors, the majority of them will bloat again, usually within hours of the first operation- I wasn’t going to put him through that, he was suffering already, to make him withstand the pain any longer would be the ultimate betrayal, I had to say goodbye… and it almost killed me. My heart was broken, I had finally found a connection with a dog (after losing my first heart-dog not too long before all this.) Losing him was a painful blow.

I wanted to write off akitas. I never wanted to see one again, let alone own one. I was mad. Bitter. I moved on with a different puppy from a completely different side of the tracks breed- wise. I had adopted a shepherd mega mutt puppy. Now this little pup was sweet as could be, but I could not bond with him. Nothing we did together felt “right,” and I could feel from pretty early on that we were not meant to be a team. I kept him as a foster and trained him until he was eventually adopted by a good friend, who had been watching him grow from the sidelines and had finally gotten her husband to cave- So now what?

Sad and bitter as I was, akitas had never completely left my mind… I had stayed in contact with the people I met when I was an akita mom, and then one day a rescue I had been involved with had found a dog with a golden unicorn* personality that I really needed to meet. When I saw him there was no question in my mind that he was the dog of my dreams, and I set out for a 48hr round trip to New Jersey from my little Kansas home, and in May of 2016 Echo and I met for the first time, and he came home to live with me.

Since adopting Echo I have been heavily involved in Akita rescue, having fostered 3 akita puppies, and drove about 2k miles in total in the last 4 years in various efforts to help some akitas in need. This was also an unbelievably valuable training opportunity- the more dogs you meet the more you learn about dogs, and different ways to interact with them. Dogs do speak, you just have to listen with your eyes instead of your ears and think with your brain rather than your heart. At the end of the day, a dog is an animal. They do not feel many of the emotions that we project onto them, and do not have the ability to truly know right from wrong on a moral level. Dogs don’t have morals, but this also means that they don’t do things out of spite or malice-

The akita breed has taken ahold of my heart. Now, I know akitas do not “normally” tic all the boxes for a service dog candidate, making them unreliable at best- making a not-so-great choice to train for service work. They have a heavy wash out rate; and no matter where you sit on the Nature Vs. Nurture debate; FACT of the matter is that akitas do have a pre-disposition to be dog- aggressive, and aloof and weary of strangers- both traits that really should dis-qualify a dog from service work; but for the right handler they are amazing. Akitas are intelligent, strong, agile working dogs with a solid work ethic*- which is probably the most important trait in a dog, to me!

Akitas have taught me a lot and helped me grow SO MUCH as a dog trainer. Number one thing I learned was to be more self-aware; a goal I hold above all others these days. A hard second lesson was learning to hold my temper, keep calm, lower your voice, take a second to think, and move forward with a steady tone and manner. If you aren’t enjoying yourself, or you run into a barrier trying to communicate with your dog, then it is best to walk away and come back later with a different attitude- rather than taking the frustration and becoming forceful or snappy. They do not respond well to force or yelling- Patience and understanding are the best training tools you have with an akita (and any other dog you meet really.) Once you learn how to communicate with one, getting passed anything at any time becomes a breeze. A team effort. And at the end of the day a team is what we are, and what we were meant to be. Trust your dog and have faith in him and he will shine as bright as you let him.

#akita #servicedog #dogtraining

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arplis · 5 years ago

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Arplis - News: Professional Outdoorsman & Adventurer Forrest Galante Swears By These EDC Items and Outdoor Gear

When SPY caught up with all-around adventurer and outdoorsman, Forrest Galante, he was sitting in his home in Santa Barbara. Just prior to our conversation though, Forrest was in Indonesia. And if it wasn’t for the canceled flights and the quarantines, you can bet Forrest would be far from Southern California right now.

So why track down this man of nature and get him on the phone? Well, we at SPY were curious what a guy like Galante — someone who grew up in Africa, rediscovered species previously thought extinct, and has had his own Animal Planet survival show (Extinct or Alive) — packs on his excursions. After all, if the right outdoor gear can help Galante stay alive when adventuring around hippos, swimming with sharks or spotting snakes in the jungle, it can probably hold up on our next camping trip.

We asked Galante to share some of his favorite pieces of gear and EDC items (all of which you can find below). And for each product, Galante told us over the phone why he loves them. Some may be a little too extreme for the casual hiker, but others are so simple, it’s amazing we don’t all own a few.

But before you dive into his recommendations, allow us to share a few words of wisdom from the professional adventurer: “Every product is a niche product, but if not filled correctly, they cause a lot of difficulty. This is the best of the best in their niche. I wanted to give you honest products that work for me in my line of work. [I’m] very into my gear and I do a lot of research.”

Now that’s a statement SPY can get behind.

Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for clarity.

1. HECS Wildlife 3-Piece Suit

Though not a common piece of clothing the average hiker will keep on-hand for day hikes, Galante has found the camouflage suits from HECS to be invaluable. “The Interwoven carbon grid blocks naturally occurring EME, it’s like wearing a microwave door on your body,” says the outdoorsman. And while he says it’s far from “a Harry Potter invisibility cloak,” he feels much more comfortable when wearing it. In fact, Galante has even noticed that animals tend to be more comfortable around him when he’s wearing HECS.

While we wouldn’t recommend donning this three-piece suit and then trying to give a wild lion a hug, it’s a great set to keep in mind when adventuring into the wilds. Or as Galante says, “Common sense should prevail but it’s amazing stuff.”

Buy: HECS® Wildlife 3-Piece Suit Starting at $179.99

2. INOVA® T11R Rechargeable Tactical Flashlight

“I hate rechargable lights,” Galante says before diving into his next pick. Thanks to his ever-changing schedule and hunt for the new and wild, Galante isn’t always close to an outlet. But even though he generally hates rechargeable lights — “[I’d] rather carry in 25 lbs of batteries” — he can’t get enough of this flashlight from Inova. “This is the greatest tool in my Batman belt of tools,” says Galante.

It’s easy to see why Galante holds such high regard for this flashlight. While shining on high, it can last for days on end, and it has a beam that packs 5,800 lumens. If you find yourself alone in the dark, you’ll be glad you have this powerful flashlight at your side. And if all else fails, it makes for a great baton or weapon in a pinch.

Rechargeable Tactical Flashlight" data-price="$449.99" rel="nofollow"> Buy: INOVA® T11R Rechargeable Tactical Flashlight $449.99

Rechargeable Tactical Flashlight" data-price="449.99" rel="nofollow">

3. Kuhl Radikl Pants

“It’s important to have really good outdoor gear,” says Galante. And while he’s often carrying the best of the best in terms of lights, snake hooks and boots, that maxim also applies to pants. “I’ve tried Northface, Arc teryx, all of them. For a garment that is functional and comfortable enough (from airplane to hike), Kuhl is the best. Bar none, over everything else.”

But what makes them great? For starters, they’re made of a cotton/nylon/spandex mix, which gives them good flexibility, durability and breathability. So as Galante said earlier, whether you’re on a long plane ride or a hike, these will keep you comfortable. “[They] fit really nicely, which isn’t the case for most outdoor gear.”

Who says style and functionality are mutually exclusive?

Buy: Kuhl Radikl Pants $89.00

4. GEAR TIE® Reusable Rubber Twist Tie

“The bread tie on steroids. It does, let me be clear, everything.” When speaking on the phone, it was almost comical how much Galante gushed over this seemingly basic accessory. But then he started telling us stories about his different use cases, from, “Wiring crocodilian jaws shut” to tying items to the skids of helicopters. And then, well, we started to come around.

The ties are simple and incredibly inexpensive, which is why Galante and his team keep tons on hand at all times. They’re made of rubber and a strong wire, which lets you bend them to your will over and over and over. And even better, they come in various sizes and colors, so if you buy an assortment, you’ll be prepared for any issue you may run into out in the wild.

Buy: GEAR TIE® Reusable Rubber Twist Tie $4.49

5. Electrick Knoxville Polarized Sunglasses

“I don’t think I ever leave home, period, without my Knoxville’s.” For a guy who calls his flashlight the most important tool in his tool belt, this is high praise for a pair of shades. “[I’m] very fair eyed and I spend a lot of time looking into the sun and searching through canopies,” says Galante. For those reasons, he loves Electrick’s Knoxville shades. Polarized, handsome-looking and relatively inexpensive for the quality, we totally get it. “[They] check all the boxes for me.”

Buy: Electric Knoxville Sunglasses $160.00

6. Kenetrek Safari Boots

“Until a few years ago, I used to be under the impression that you should get a lightweight hiking boot and wear through it in a season,” Galante starts off saying. According to the outdoorsman, that was always his typical practice, until one fateful trek to Fernandina Island. Just before the excursion, Galante picked up a pair of Kenetrek’s Safair Boots linked below, and it changed his outlook forever.

Over the course of the trip, his entire crew went through multiple pairs of boots per person thanks to the exceptionally rough, lava-rock terrain. Meanwhile, Galante didn’t change his shoes once. “I’m still wearing those boots today,” he says, talking about the trip which was well over a year ago. “[I] can’t believe how much [they] changed what I do and what I wear.”

Kenetrek’s boots are nearly 3 pounds of leather and rubber that come in a sturdy and tough package. And if they can stand up to lava rocks in Fernandina Island, they’ll surely last you through several hiking seasons.

Buy: Kenetrek Safari Boots $359.95

7. Petzl Duo S Headlamp

It’s hard to argue with Galante when he calls Petzl’s Duo S, “The best headlamp to date that is available.” Especially when he goes on to tell us he’s dropped it into the ocean and had it knocked off his head from the wind of a helicopter, only to pick it up, dust it off and keep using it.

“Say I have a 6-foot cobra in my hand, I don’t have the ability to be holding a light in my left hand. And I don’t have the ability to have my crew lighting for me, in case my body gets in the way. But when I have a headlamp in my hand, I can work with both hands and work in any direction and use my feet. I can trust the tool on my head to keep the area in front of me lit up.”

Petzl’s Duo S produces 1,100 lumens and comes equipped with several modes, allowing you to keep an eye on anything and everything throughout your adventures.

Buy: PETZL Duo S Headlamp

8. Garmin Fenix 6 Pro

For Galante, many of his product selections are based on efficiency. And that is never more true than it is with his Garmin Fenix 6 Pro watch. “It’s given me efficiency, I’d say 300%. [It has] Increased my confidence and productivity.”

Prior to finding the Fenix 6, Galante would chart on a map where he placed various game cameras (which allowed him to take automatic pictures of wildlife throughout a given area). But that can be a horribly tedious task when you’ve hiked miles and your mark on your paper map is just a little off. But since getting the Garmin, that’s no longer a problem. “I can put out 200 trail cameras and just hit a button on my watch and never have to think about where that camera is again, because I marked it on my watch. It will chart a course to go back to my cameras.”

And while Galante may not care as much about the smartwatch features this Garmin boasts, the watch still has plenty of those to brag about, too. From text notifications to workout animations and (of course) navigation, this powerful watch has too many functions to count. And we mean that in the best way possible.

Buy: Fenix 6 Pro $899.99

9. Tongs Collapsible Snake Hook

Though this is a much more niche product, and we’d highly caution against picking one up and diving into the world of snakes, we still felt it worth noting Forrest Galante’s favorite snake hook. “I never leave without my collapsible snake hook,” Galante says of his Tongs collapsible hook. The hook can extend up to 39 inches, but in its most compact form is only 17 inches long. What’s more, it weighs just under a pound, making it an easy tool to keep on hand in the field.

Buy: Tongs Collapsible Snake Hook $49.95

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Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/professional-outdoorsman-adventurer-forrest-galante-swears-by-these-edc-items-and-outdoor-gear

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charllieeldridge · 5 years ago

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10 Unique Things To Do in Barbados

The name Barbados automatically conjures up tantalizing images of white sand beaches, crystal clear water, palm trees and rum punches, and while the island has all of those amazing things, it also has much more to offer!

On your trip to Barbados, try to peel yourself away from the idyllic beaches to explore some of the island’s lesser-known areas and also enjoy the country as the local Bajans do.

After living on the island for 2 months, and returning to travel there for a week, I know the place well. We actually found many unique things to do in Barbados during our stay and I’m here to share the best Barbados excursions with you.

Here are 10 things you won’t want to miss on your trip to Barbados.

1. Hit Up A Barbecue

Bajans love their grills and the smokey aroma of grilled meats and spicy sauces can be smelled wafting all over the island, especially on weekends. Just follow your nose to one of the many roadside or beachside barbecues and taste some of the nation’s best food.

This is one of the things to do in Barbados that you won’t likely find on other lists, but it’s the best way to meet locals and enjoy some traditional barbecued meats. When we were in Barbados, we always hit up the roadside places, and the food was always delicious.

A couple of barbecues to try include the Sunday Lunch at Crystal Waters, where you can join the older crowd and enjoy live music and a healthy portion of barbecued lamb, chicken or fish with lots of sides.

Also, if you don’t mind travelling a little way for your meal, head to St. George and just up the hill from the Cheffette Restaurant, you’ll find Belly Full Barbecue, arguably the most friendly and flavourful food stand on the island. We ate here numerous times and loved it.

Side of the road BBQs are one of the top places to visit in Barbados — don’t miss out!

2. Eat a Flying Fish Cutter

You really haven’t been to Barbados until you’ve eaten the famous Flying Fish Cutter. While this tasty sandwich can be found with swordfish, marlin and mahi-mahi, the original (and possibly the best) is with flying fish.

The sandwich is made with a freshly baked salt roll. This delicious bread is not salty at all and it is typically crunchy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. The roll is cut in half and filled with delicious grilled fish, lettuce, tomatoes and your choice of sauce (don’t pass on the spicy Bajan Pepper Sauce).

My favourite Flying Fish Cutter can be found at Cuz’s Fish Shack right off of the parking lot at the stunning Carlisle Bay Beach near Bridgetown. If you’re a fish fan, eating a cutter is something you don’t want to miss on your trip to Barbados.

3. Go On A Rum Tour

I think I’ve listed enough eating in Barbados so far! Now it’s time to talk about drinks. The island once earned much of its fortune from delicious rums, and you can join a rum tour to see how this cane sugar liquor is made.

Mount Gay Rum is the country’s pride and joy and the Mount Gay Distillery puts on excellent rum tours where you can learn about the history of rum production in Barbados while trying a few samples along the way.

The Signature Tour offers a tasting of 3 rums and a history lesson for $20, while the Full Signature Rum Tasting tour includes transportation, and tasting of 7 rums for a total of $50.

4. Visit Harrison’s Cave (one of the top places to visit in Barbados)

Harrison’s Cave is truly one of the natural wonders of Barbados. Located in the central uplands, the interior of this cave boasts breathtaking, crystallized limestone that drips water into impossibly clear pools.

The cave is far away from most of the tourist hotels, but there are many tours that can take you to the cave, or you can rent a car and head there on your own. A trip to Harrison’s Cave is one of the top Barbados excursions, and for good reason. Click here to learn about the tours on offer, or check out the image below.

If you’re on a budget, consider taking the local bus for just B$1.50. The bus system in Barbados is really efficient, with buses leaving Bridgetown every 30 minutes. You can take the Route 4, Shorey Village bus or the Route 4, Chalky Mount bus which runs at 8:15 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. The journey is about 1 hour.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

5. Explore St. Nicholas Abbey

Here you can learn a bit about Barbados’ 350+ years of history at this wonderfully preserved plantation home. This type of architectural heritage is a brilliant way for visitors to understand what Barbados looked like a few centuries ago.

The old plantation home is set on a beautiful property of tranquil gardens, gullies and orchards with the adjacent Cherry Tree Hill. The home itself has some stunning antique furniture and decorations.

You can also visit the boiling house and rum distillery which is still working every day to produce the famous St.Nicholas Abbey Rum.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

6. Relax on Carlisle Bay Beach

Ok, I had to put one beach on the list of things to do in Barbados!

There are plenty of blissfully perfect beaches on the island of Barbados, but my personal favourite is the powder stretch of white sand at Carlisle Bay — this is one of the best beaches in the Caribbean.

The water here is always calm, and there are a few places on the beach (and nearby) where you can pick up snacks and cheap beer. Cuz’s is a great place to try cutters and The Boatyard Beach Club serves up tasty food as well.

*Insider tip: if you’re staying on the island, rather than just visiting for the day, you can buy a day pass ($30) to the Beach Club which includes $22.50 in restaurant credit, and use of their amenities — SUP, kayaks, beach chairs and umbrellas, volleyball, snorkelling and WiFi.

If you stick around Carlisle Beach long enough, you can enjoy sunset from here as well. Check out our full review of Carlisle Bay Beach on Virgin Holidays’ Trending Travel Guide.

7. Walk the Boardwalk

Stretching for 1.6 km between Camelot and Accra beach, this beautiful wooden walkway wanders along the sea and past many bars and restaurants. It’s well lit in some parts, but there are stretches of dark areas at night and it’s not recommended to walk late in the evening.

However, during the day this makes for the perfect place for a stroll along the water.

I recommend starting in Camelot in the late afternoon and arriving at Accra Beach for sunset. This is also a fantastic place to go swimming and you can either bring your own drinks and sit on the sand, or head into Tikki Bar (for $15 you get use of their umbrellas and chairs, and that $15 goes towards bar credit). Click here for directions to the boardwalk.

8. Check Out Fish Fry Fridays

Oistins Fish Fry Friday is an absolute must when visiting Barbados. This weekly party and fish festival is held on a serene beach on Barbados’ southwest coast and it’s the perfect place to meet new friends, both foreign and local.

You won’t find a better plate of fish anywhere on the island. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is great, and there is a lot of dancing and music. Everybody seems to be in a good mood — it is Friday after all! Going to the Oistins Fish Fry is one of the best things to do in Barbados at night.

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To get to Oistins, you need to take an Oistins, Airport, Silver Sands, Sam Lords Castle, Fairy Valley or St. Christopher bus, depending on where you are staying. Either way, the cost is $2 BBD per person per ride.

9. Caribbean Crop Over

At the end of each sugarcane season, Barbados puts on its biggest festival of the year and they call it Crop Over Summer Festival. It’s the island’s most popular and colourful get together and its origins can be traced all the way back to the 1700s when Barbados was the world’s largest sugar producer.

When the sugar industry on the island declined in the 1940s, this famous festival followed suit, but luckily it was revived along with other elements of Barbadian culture in 1974 and today it’s a culture infused extravaganza that attracts hundreds of party lovers from around the world.

The festival happens every year from May to August, with the largest celebrations happening at the end with carnival celebrations. If you plan your trip to Barbados at that time, you may not only get to party like crazy, but you may share the streets with world-famous Bajan pop & hip hop star, Rihanna!

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

10. BH3 Barbados

If you have read our articles about Hashing in Grenada, you’ll know that we love these international social hiking groups. BH3 Barbados is owned and run by Hash House Harriers and it’s another great way to meet local people, get some exercise and enjoy some local rum shack culture on either end of the walk!

Click Here to find out about upcoming hikes and runs in different areas around the island. Going hashing is definitely one of the more adventurous things you can do in Barbados.

More than just beaches…

This 430 km² island has dozens of beaches and mile after mile of pristine coastline, but there’s more to Barbados than sun loungers and beach bars. Once you get away from the sand, you’ll start to understand the island a little better and you’ll have an opportunity to meet more of the nation’s lovely people and explore its diverse landscapes.

With numerous excursions in Barbados, fantastic cuisine, and easy transportation options, a trip to Barbados should definitely be on your list!

Have you ever been to Barbados? What were your favourite things to see and do? Please share with us in the comments below so we can help other travellers to better enjoy this beautiful Caribbean island. For more about Barbados, check out VisitBarbados.org.

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