We were checking out at the Madison food co-op last Monday night, still blurry from the day of travel but excited about getting food and cooking our first post-Korea meal. The cashier was explaining to us how membership works there (it's a refundable buy-in system, which sounded great to me) and we were adding that purchase onto our day's shopping. As the cashier was finishing up our paperwork the woman behind us started asking the cashier about how the coffee blends get named. Apparently she believed it offensive that one was named after Che Guevara, since lots of his quotations are about blood and killing and she found that unacceptable. The cashier politely tried to deflect the tirade, but the lady insisted on talking to the manager on hand and proceeded to launch into her argument, offering to come give a presentation about her position. The cashier, once she had finished ringing us up, gave a friendly, conspiratorially too-bright smile and said "welcome to the co-op!" Ah, Seattle.
~hannah
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The last kimchi
I'm writing this from the local branch of the Seattle Public Library, where we have just received our library cards (!!) and are now catching up on digital life. Before I talk too much about Seattle, though, I'll try to mention our last weekend in Korea. On Wednesday night we got to experience the wonders of the korean bathhouse. With Monika and Megan we went to a huge bathhouse in what claims to be the world's largest department store. You go in, lock your shoes, get special spa pajamas and go to the dressing room for your gender where you get naked and then walk into the bath area, which is a large, high-ceilinged room done to look like an airy cave, full of baths of different temperatures and naked (mostly) Korean women. That's mostly Korean; they were completely naked. It took a little getting used to, but I felt remarkably comfortable. A favorite pasttime at the spa is getting scrubbed down with a coarse cloth, either done yourself or done by a spa employee. We liked our skin so skipped that step. After a long soak we saw the rest of the spa. Foot baths, dvd room, massages, fifteen different themed spas, cafes, you name it. I didn't consider myself a fan of the spa, but I'm a convert.
The next day Becky and I headed to Seoul on the high speed train. The Korean countryside is beautiful, and it was an enjoyable trip. We met up with Kim, had an amzing tour of Seoul from a mountaintop, great dinner, tea in a bird cafe with birds flying around our heads (no, birdies around the head doesn't just happen in bars or a hit over the head, at least not in Korea), and thn a drink at a quirky owl-themed bar. The next few days included a palace visit, some souveinere shopping (mostly just overwhelming), late night beer and chatting by a strean bank with Kim and her girlfriend, Anna, a hike up another local mountain, attending fireworks with four close friends and about 400000 other 'friends,' a great evening out on the town, and a western-style breakfast to top it all off. Whew! Our last night in Busan was low-key and a wonderful chance to hang out with Monika before leaving. Our flight home was uneventful and we're jet-lagged but happy to be home.
Although we've made it to Seattle, we haven't quite made it to real life, yet, since my job doesn't start for another few weeks. Although we'll both be doing some work starting now, we're trying to still see this as a bit of vacation. We'll keep updating the blog for a while, yet, to let you know what we're up to and what, exactly, we're settling into. For now we're going to head outside, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the sunshine. I hear days like this are rare in this neck of the woods, though Seattle has so far been generous with the sun and views of the mountains.
-hannah
The next day Becky and I headed to Seoul on the high speed train. The Korean countryside is beautiful, and it was an enjoyable trip. We met up with Kim, had an amzing tour of Seoul from a mountaintop, great dinner, tea in a bird cafe with birds flying around our heads (no, birdies around the head doesn't just happen in bars or a hit over the head, at least not in Korea), and thn a drink at a quirky owl-themed bar. The next few days included a palace visit, some souveinere shopping (mostly just overwhelming), late night beer and chatting by a strean bank with Kim and her girlfriend, Anna, a hike up another local mountain, attending fireworks with four close friends and about 400000 other 'friends,' a great evening out on the town, and a western-style breakfast to top it all off. Whew! Our last night in Busan was low-key and a wonderful chance to hang out with Monika before leaving. Our flight home was uneventful and we're jet-lagged but happy to be home.
Although we've made it to Seattle, we haven't quite made it to real life, yet, since my job doesn't start for another few weeks. Although we'll both be doing some work starting now, we're trying to still see this as a bit of vacation. We'll keep updating the blog for a while, yet, to let you know what we're up to and what, exactly, we're settling into. For now we're going to head outside, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the sunshine. I hear days like this are rare in this neck of the woods, though Seattle has so far been generous with the sun and views of the mountains.
-hannah
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Bangs and kimchi; settling into Korea
Since getting back from the temple we've been lucky enough to really get a sense of what it's like to live in Korea (as a foreigner), thanks to Monika and her wonderful friends. On Saturday we walked over to the favorite local beach where we had lots of room to ourselves. Apparently July and August are the beach months when the sand is packed, but come September 1 it clears out considerably. The Koreans are big fans of doing the appropriate activity at the appropriate time. We, however, had a great time playing frisbee and swimming; the few locals in the water had on full wetsuits but Monika, Becky and eventually I braved the water in just swim suits.
On Sunday we were introduced to screen golf. Koreans are big fans of doing social activities outside of the house. While I don't know the origin of this interest, it sure is convenient since most people live in tiny high-rise apartments with not much room. The name of these establishments, which provide a small room and some snacks for you and a group of friends, are "bangs." We went to a screen golf bang on Sunday with three Mt Holyoke women (Becky, Monika and Megan) and their respective girlfriends. Screen golf is amazing - a little machine tees up your ball for you, and you then hit it with full force, using a real golf club, into the virtual world projected on a large, heavy, hanging cloth about 10 feet in front of you. You then proceed to play video game golf, but with all the physical motions of real golf. Crazy! Becky and I had games characterized more by....character...than skill, but the set-up itself was really impressive.
On Friday we had experienced a karaoke bang, in which you have a small room for your friends and your own karaoke setup. A bit more fun and more laid-back than the public style of karaoke in the States. Finally, yesterday evening we went to a DVD bang. You walk in and select a movie from the library of DVDs available, and then you're shown to a small room with a large couch (the size of a bed) and a big screen. The fellow downstairs starts the movie and you have your own private movie showing! We watched Invictus, about rubgy in South Africa during Nelson Mandela's first term. A perfect movie for this crowd, and a great, uplifting film. Watching the other people getting rooms it was clear that DVD bangs are also an outlet for young couples to have 'together time' in a repressive society in which most adolescents and young adults live with their parents and in which public affection is shunned. Fascinating way to get around that.
The past few days Becky and I have embarked on little adventures around the city after being helpfully sent on our way by Monika. Yesterday we all three went and got new glasses for Becky, since the glasses are much cheaper here than in the states and Becky happened to have her prescription on her (!). Very successful; they're fun, stylish, frames perfect for a hot architect. (Yes, I know, we promise pictures once we get home!) Becky and I then went to a very crowded street market and on to the famous fish market in which you can buy some strange stuff in those water tanks.
We're slowly getting a bit more adventurous with food, though we fully admit that it's really challenging to eat vegetarian when you don't know the language. The staple of Korean cuisine is kimchi, a condiment served with almost every meal made by fermenting/preserving cabbage and sometimes other vegetables with hot peppers. Kimchi is aged in large, earthenware pots set outside residences and restaurants, when it's not purchased already made. As a vegetarian it'd be really wonderful if we loved this dish; unfortunately it's a bit of an acquired taste. I do, on the other hand, love the scallion pancakes that we've been having. The best were found on the street yesterday, at one of the ubiquitous food stands set up in the middle of pedestrian streets. During the day in markets or the evening in bar areas there will be a line of half a dozen carts all serving the same food, consisting of scallion pancakes cooked on a flat griddle in the middle of the cart, skewered meat cooked in a vat of broth to the side of the griddle, a pile of seafood in red sauce on the other side of the griddle, and some rolls and dumplings of unspecified content. You go up, order your food, and then stand in front of the ledge on the side of the cart to eat your food, right there. Hot and fresh. Another food custom I really appreciate is the almost ubiquitous availability of large, delicious fruit platters at bars. It's almost a challenge to find a savory or salty bar snack. This speaks to a larger Korean trend: the default seasoning is sweet. Popcorn, crackers, even garlic bread and packaged Sun chips are all sweet! Makes for a bit of a surprise when you go into a store, buy a savory snack that you've been craving, and bite into it to find the coating of sugar. My sweet tooth doesn't mind, but it will be nice to get back to salt in the States.
Today is our last full day in Busan before we head to Seoul tomorrow. On today's schedule is a local museum, picking up Becky's glasses, and going to the bathhouse for some soaking (we're going to skip the brillo-pad scrub down offered for clients. I find my skin too useful to get rid of). We've heard that Busan seems almost provincial compared to the NYC-style hubbub of Seoul, so that will be an interesting experience. We leave on Monday, so we're going to live up our last days here as best we can!
On Sunday we were introduced to screen golf. Koreans are big fans of doing social activities outside of the house. While I don't know the origin of this interest, it sure is convenient since most people live in tiny high-rise apartments with not much room. The name of these establishments, which provide a small room and some snacks for you and a group of friends, are "bangs." We went to a screen golf bang on Sunday with three Mt Holyoke women (Becky, Monika and Megan) and their respective girlfriends. Screen golf is amazing - a little machine tees up your ball for you, and you then hit it with full force, using a real golf club, into the virtual world projected on a large, heavy, hanging cloth about 10 feet in front of you. You then proceed to play video game golf, but with all the physical motions of real golf. Crazy! Becky and I had games characterized more by....character...than skill, but the set-up itself was really impressive.
On Friday we had experienced a karaoke bang, in which you have a small room for your friends and your own karaoke setup. A bit more fun and more laid-back than the public style of karaoke in the States. Finally, yesterday evening we went to a DVD bang. You walk in and select a movie from the library of DVDs available, and then you're shown to a small room with a large couch (the size of a bed) and a big screen. The fellow downstairs starts the movie and you have your own private movie showing! We watched Invictus, about rubgy in South Africa during Nelson Mandela's first term. A perfect movie for this crowd, and a great, uplifting film. Watching the other people getting rooms it was clear that DVD bangs are also an outlet for young couples to have 'together time' in a repressive society in which most adolescents and young adults live with their parents and in which public affection is shunned. Fascinating way to get around that.
The past few days Becky and I have embarked on little adventures around the city after being helpfully sent on our way by Monika. Yesterday we all three went and got new glasses for Becky, since the glasses are much cheaper here than in the states and Becky happened to have her prescription on her (!). Very successful; they're fun, stylish, frames perfect for a hot architect. (Yes, I know, we promise pictures once we get home!) Becky and I then went to a very crowded street market and on to the famous fish market in which you can buy some strange stuff in those water tanks.
We're slowly getting a bit more adventurous with food, though we fully admit that it's really challenging to eat vegetarian when you don't know the language. The staple of Korean cuisine is kimchi, a condiment served with almost every meal made by fermenting/preserving cabbage and sometimes other vegetables with hot peppers. Kimchi is aged in large, earthenware pots set outside residences and restaurants, when it's not purchased already made. As a vegetarian it'd be really wonderful if we loved this dish; unfortunately it's a bit of an acquired taste. I do, on the other hand, love the scallion pancakes that we've been having. The best were found on the street yesterday, at one of the ubiquitous food stands set up in the middle of pedestrian streets. During the day in markets or the evening in bar areas there will be a line of half a dozen carts all serving the same food, consisting of scallion pancakes cooked on a flat griddle in the middle of the cart, skewered meat cooked in a vat of broth to the side of the griddle, a pile of seafood in red sauce on the other side of the griddle, and some rolls and dumplings of unspecified content. You go up, order your food, and then stand in front of the ledge on the side of the cart to eat your food, right there. Hot and fresh. Another food custom I really appreciate is the almost ubiquitous availability of large, delicious fruit platters at bars. It's almost a challenge to find a savory or salty bar snack. This speaks to a larger Korean trend: the default seasoning is sweet. Popcorn, crackers, even garlic bread and packaged Sun chips are all sweet! Makes for a bit of a surprise when you go into a store, buy a savory snack that you've been craving, and bite into it to find the coating of sugar. My sweet tooth doesn't mind, but it will be nice to get back to salt in the States.
Today is our last full day in Busan before we head to Seoul tomorrow. On today's schedule is a local museum, picking up Becky's glasses, and going to the bathhouse for some soaking (we're going to skip the brillo-pad scrub down offered for clients. I find my skin too useful to get rid of). We've heard that Busan seems almost provincial compared to the NYC-style hubbub of Seoul, so that will be an interesting experience. We leave on Monday, so we're going to live up our last days here as best we can!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Monika Goforth and Chanting Monks
Korea is amazing. Monika is amazing. And let me tell you, chanting monks are amazing. We spent the first day or two in Busan we spent recovering and checking out Monika's hood, her mountain and her secret meditation spot. Thursday Monika had an extra full work day so we headed to Golgulsa, a Buddhist temple high in a Mountain about 2.5 hours away.
Our stay at the temple really grounded us in the fact that we are indeed in Korea and not just visiting Monika somewhere in the world (which happens). Golgusa is known for its martial arts, specifically an art called sunmudo. For my Tae Kwon Do people, Golgusa is a temple built in the Silla (pronounced Shilla) Dynasty circa 7th Century - and yes, a site of the Hwarang youth warriors. The dynasty after the Silla brought in Confusionism and destroyed a lot of the Buddhist temples in the cities on military order. The ones in the mountains are the oldest and only remaining. Whoa is this temple on a mountain. There is a lot of vertical "walking": if you're going somewhere, it's up or down. We got our full workout just going to meals. The martial art training and bowing meditation on top of that has left us super sore, but feeling good about it. Sunmudo has some super clear links to Tae Kwon Do - up/down motion, unity of action and breath, balance - but its much more like a dance and makes TKD exaggeratedly direct. The monks study Qui Chong and other some other aspects of zen martial art. There were at least 4 monks between 12-15 in the Hwarang practice - real Hwarang warriors. It was awesome for me to connect little bits of history I've learned to recite and the people who are living it today.
Last night we had a BIG NIGHT out in Busan with the Busan Sisters. An amazing group of women, both foreign and Korean, who embrace an... alternative lifestyle - women loving women. It all ended around 5am at a karaoke club. We're in Asia now.
Today: Ocean - maybe surfing. Screen golf? and tomorrow a 10k bridge walk and maybe a latern festival.
Korea is treating us well. Monika is wonderful as always.
Our stay at the temple really grounded us in the fact that we are indeed in Korea and not just visiting Monika somewhere in the world (which happens). Golgusa is known for its martial arts, specifically an art called sunmudo. For my Tae Kwon Do people, Golgusa is a temple built in the Silla (pronounced Shilla) Dynasty circa 7th Century - and yes, a site of the Hwarang youth warriors. The dynasty after the Silla brought in Confusionism and destroyed a lot of the Buddhist temples in the cities on military order. The ones in the mountains are the oldest and only remaining. Whoa is this temple on a mountain. There is a lot of vertical "walking": if you're going somewhere, it's up or down. We got our full workout just going to meals. The martial art training and bowing meditation on top of that has left us super sore, but feeling good about it. Sunmudo has some super clear links to Tae Kwon Do - up/down motion, unity of action and breath, balance - but its much more like a dance and makes TKD exaggeratedly direct. The monks study Qui Chong and other some other aspects of zen martial art. There were at least 4 monks between 12-15 in the Hwarang practice - real Hwarang warriors. It was awesome for me to connect little bits of history I've learned to recite and the people who are living it today.
Last night we had a BIG NIGHT out in Busan with the Busan Sisters. An amazing group of women, both foreign and Korean, who embrace an... alternative lifestyle - women loving women. It all ended around 5am at a karaoke club. We're in Asia now.
Today: Ocean - maybe surfing. Screen golf? and tomorrow a 10k bridge walk and maybe a latern festival.
Korea is treating us well. Monika is wonderful as always.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
New Mexico to South Korea with a layover in Seattle.
Congratulations Annie and Ira! beautiful wedding. so much fun in New Mexico!
We got home at 3pm or so. packed for Korea, ignored our ridiculously out of sorts apartment and headed out for a late dinner. We are so excited about the trips we have smashed together so cozy-like, but we are starting to feel like road warriors. You know, the weary kind.
Tomorrow we will take on the Seattle public transit without handicaps - we're leaving the droid at home. Only buses, a lightrail, two planes and a customs official stand inbetween us and Monika. Bring it.
Post might get less frequent while were abroad. We're looking at hiking mountains, hanging out in temples, going to islands, having big nights in cities and generally having a ball. We'll make sure to tell you all about it!
We got home at 3pm or so. packed for Korea, ignored our ridiculously out of sorts apartment and headed out for a late dinner. We are so excited about the trips we have smashed together so cozy-like, but we are starting to feel like road warriors. You know, the weary kind.
Tomorrow we will take on the Seattle public transit without handicaps - we're leaving the droid at home. Only buses, a lightrail, two planes and a customs official stand inbetween us and Monika. Bring it.
Post might get less frequent while were abroad. We're looking at hiking mountains, hanging out in temples, going to islands, having big nights in cities and generally having a ball. We'll make sure to tell you all about it!
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Friday, September 24, 2010
leavin on a jet plane
we've decided to explore santa fe tonight and albuquerque tomorrow. something about smaller and artsier really appeals to us. i think this quick trip will be a tease.
side note: has anyone noticed how lime green is super hot right now? i'm guilty. i bought a lime green nalgene 6 months ago and lime green board shorts 3 months ago. however the walls of our apartment are a light lime green. its a really nice color. it magically goes with the dark red/orange/tan thing we had going on in new haven. however, if i wear my board shorts i can blend into the wall and while purchasing a britta filter we skillfully avoided the lime green. and we keep noticing how many things we have that are that color. its silly and lime over here.
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Monday, September 20, 2010
party in seattle!
cheers! to Seattle!
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It turns out...
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A gay time in Boise
Since we were driving right past it, Becky and I made a quick pilgrimage to the Sierra Trading Post outlet. The major perk was trying on the shoes before buying, which made for a successful trip.
As I write this on the phone, Becky just drove us into Oregon (bam!). We've been weighing the lure of our own bed in our own apartkent vs. putting off dealing with our own apartment and stopping short of Seattle to camp tonight. It almost seems silly to not go all the way to Seattle, but this trip has been a delightful escape from the domestic world and it's a little hard to see it end. That said, we are looking forward to settling into our new home, and we still have a month of adventure ahead of us. We'll see where we end up tonight!
hannah
picture: Tut (with shirt) and Kenton
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Saturday, September 18, 2010
Volcanos.
Wow. We're in Boise and realizing that very quickly we will be in Seattle. In fact, one week from now we'll be in Albuquerque at Annie's wedding and 9 days from now we will be in Korea. Awesome. Originally we planned to stay in Boise for one night to see my friend Sue from quite a few years ago in Michigan. Then, Matt Tutsky moved to Boise from NYC - who saw that coming? So we're here for two nights. One night for Tut, one for Sue. Love it.
Today we took THE OREGON TRAIL from Craters of the Moon National Monument to Boise via Goodale's Cutoff. Way cool. It was even easier than the circa 1980s game we used to play. We didnt have to keep track of heads of cattle, Hannah didnt fall in while we were forging the river and Becky didn't die of dysentery. We drove a cool 70mph on the "back road" and were constantly passed by Idahoians for our sluggishness. Pulled off on the side and had lunch looking out over the valley to the mountains. Then I curled up in the passanger seat and allowed the car-colepsy (car-narcolepsy) to take over while Hannah safely delivered us to our destination. Probably not the same as the covered wagons going way out of their way to avoid Indian attacks.
Also, thank you for the tip about Craters of the Moon. What a place. We really enjoyed the lava caves and camping on you know, 2000 year old lava flows. Speaking of lava flows...
Yesterday we left Yellowstone and crossed the Great Divide. Yellowstone was amazing. First off, mid-late September is the time to go. It was busy, lodges were full, but compared to the July-August craze, it was low density and really easy to get around. Any hike that was over 250ft long was almost empty and we had almost every summit to ourselves for awhile. Shout out to Emily Miller who gave us a great top 5 list. Bear Tooth Highway - super cool. Artist Point was phenomenal hike over the river/canyon with huge waterfalls. The road was closed at the point so it was just us when we got there. Fairy Falls, and hot spring hot springs hot springs. We stayed at the Old Faithful Inn in the original part of the now expanded lodge, had a beer watching Old Faithful go off in our newly purchased Western attire = a w e s o m e. Had a couple drinks with a lesbian couple our age who we accosted at the bar. And had some iceberg salad for dinner. Yellowstone has some work to do on their vegetarian offerings. Pictures will come soon. They are on Hannah's camera instead of the droid. We thought we'd like Yellowstone, but the park is so diverse that we left feeling like we wanted a few more days to see it. We'd have loved to get up to Mammoth or over to the lake.
Its been so fun to read everyone's emails and comments - Thank you! Keep them coming!
Today we took THE OREGON TRAIL from Craters of the Moon National Monument to Boise via Goodale's Cutoff. Way cool. It was even easier than the circa 1980s game we used to play. We didnt have to keep track of heads of cattle, Hannah didnt fall in while we were forging the river and Becky didn't die of dysentery. We drove a cool 70mph on the "back road" and were constantly passed by Idahoians for our sluggishness. Pulled off on the side and had lunch looking out over the valley to the mountains. Then I curled up in the passanger seat and allowed the car-colepsy (car-narcolepsy) to take over while Hannah safely delivered us to our destination. Probably not the same as the covered wagons going way out of their way to avoid Indian attacks.
Also, thank you for the tip about Craters of the Moon. What a place. We really enjoyed the lava caves and camping on you know, 2000 year old lava flows. Speaking of lava flows...
Yesterday we left Yellowstone and crossed the Great Divide. Yellowstone was amazing. First off, mid-late September is the time to go. It was busy, lodges were full, but compared to the July-August craze, it was low density and really easy to get around. Any hike that was over 250ft long was almost empty and we had almost every summit to ourselves for awhile. Shout out to Emily Miller who gave us a great top 5 list. Bear Tooth Highway - super cool. Artist Point was phenomenal hike over the river/canyon with huge waterfalls. The road was closed at the point so it was just us when we got there. Fairy Falls, and hot spring hot springs hot springs. We stayed at the Old Faithful Inn in the original part of the now expanded lodge, had a beer watching Old Faithful go off in our newly purchased Western attire = a w e s o m e. Had a couple drinks with a lesbian couple our age who we accosted at the bar. And had some iceberg salad for dinner. Yellowstone has some work to do on their vegetarian offerings. Pictures will come soon. They are on Hannah's camera instead of the droid. We thought we'd like Yellowstone, but the park is so diverse that we left feeling like we wanted a few more days to see it. We'd have loved to get up to Mammoth or over to the lake.
Its been so fun to read everyone's emails and comments - Thank you! Keep them coming!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Montana wine
hannah
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Hwy 212 into Yellowstone
hannah
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Bits and pieces
In an effort to a) update more frequently and b) include some of the random anecdotes I’ve been meaning to post and since we now in a motel with 1) internet and 2) electricity here’s a random post of some thoughts and sketches from the road.
When I visited the Badlands with my family as a 14-ish year old I remember being especially struck by their stark beauty. In my memory they were incredibly colorful and engaging and felt paradoxically both familiar and exotic. We arrived a few days ago at sunset after a long drive from Minnesota and watched the sky turn pink behind the crazy spires and mesas of the Wall. The stars that night were beautiful, and we had some wine and lay on a blanket, trying to identify constellations. I found my forest-loving self a bit adrift the next day as we walked a trail through hot, scorched country, but as Becky reminded me it would be poor form for a soon-to-be resident of Seattle to complain about the excess sunshine! Driving through and out of the park we stopped at some hills that were bright yellow and oranges – remnants of jungles! – and saw buffalo in the grasslands and it rounded out a beautiful visit.
We spent an amazing night in the Black Hills in a campground that was a great find: on a lake in an evergreen grove, a really beautiful setting. We burned the guitar that Becky replaced and it was a spectacular send-off for a well-loved instrument. Pictures and maybe a narrative from Becky once we get the photos from the camera.
Rushmore is strange. A wonderful example of public art and a commemoration of great leaders, sure, but a bizarre crowd-control scene of blue-rinse hairstyles and cameras. Worth going to, glad I saw it. Check that one off the list.
On the way from Rushmore we stopped in a tiny little town hoping to find a place to cook lunch. We parked in a patch of grass behind the bar, which was also the restaurant, beside the post office and school, and next to the train tracks. That was the town. All of it. We saw a loooong coal train pass, listened to a dog bark at us, ate our lunch, and then wondered if we could stop inside the bar for a quick rest stop. As soon as we saw the crowd we realized it might be more trouble than it was worth; I have never seen so many cowboy hats (the stiff kind that are half works of art) and jeans and, well, Western Attitude than I did outside that bar. Not put-on Western Attitude, but genuine folks being residents of a rural Wyoming town. We decided to find another place to stop; not that we wouldn’t have loved the experience, but I’m not sure they would have known what to do with us.
We’re currently sitting a wood-paneled room in a motel that looks like a set for a 70s TV movie. Pink walls outside and a blue roof, blinking arrow sign, the whole nine yards. In our defense, we were looking for a place that had heating (not and was under $100 near Yellowstone, and this had good ratings online. It’s not a bad deal; we had reasonable pizza in a nearby store for dinner, we’ve got a kitchenette in which we cooked for the next few days and we’ll have a lovely drive up into the mountains tomorrow.
The Land of the Tiny Sotas
Ever since we began heading north in earnest Becky has been referring to Minnesota by the above name, and it's caught on. One of the Twin Cities became the Tiny Apolis, a lake west of the Twin Cities became the Lake of the Tiny Haha, and a suburb was Tiny Tonka. You get the idea. Maybe it's most amusing after hours in the car.
Our first night in the Land of a Thousand Lakes was spent just over the border after a long drive north through Iowa. Our first experience with the windmills of the midwest was at night, and it took quite a while to figure out what the row of high, blinking red lights could possibly be. Airport? Too tall. Alien landing guides? Sure.... Oh, wind turbines! It was fun to wake up and see what the land looked like in the daylight. We had an easy drive up to Northfield, where we got a sandwich at Hogan Brothers (I love it for the sake of nostalgia, but those are particularly forgettable sandwiches), walked around the campus, dropped in on my biology advisor Matt Rand and had a lovely chat, then grabbed coffee at Blue Monday's. A quick walk around Farm House (being a sketchy alum taking pictures), we marveled at the huge garden they now have, took a quick walk in the Arb in a rain shower, then said hello to Kaaren Williamson before going to meet with frances and Stephanie. We had a wonderful time eating at Chapati, drinking beers and running into friends and acquaintances at the Contented Cow, and then playing late(ish) night Bananagrams with them. After a morning trip to Jesse James Days we said a sad farewell and headed up to the Cities. It was good to be back, and a little strange, and mostly a delightful chance to reconnect with a place that meant, and still means, a lot to me. Even more wonderful was the chance to share it with Becky!
After a stop at REI to pick up some long underwear (Yellowstone is cold this time of year!) we took the recommendation of Teague and Doug and set up shop at the Wilde Roast in Minneapolis. It's a great little coffee shop/cafe/bar that was the perfect place to host social office hours. We got to say hello to a wonderful handful of friends from Carleton, and even a Mt Holyoke friend as well. Thanks to everyone who came out! Lots of talk of nostalgic memories and a dose of planning for the future ("what are YOU going to do with your life?"). Becky joked that we hadn't heard of many people who wanted to teach at a liberal arts college until we met my friends, most of whom want to metaphorically (or literally) return to Carleton to teach. Ah, hopeless academics.
Our evening was spent with Esther and Patrick, friends of our family since Dad met Esther about 20 years ago. We had a delicious dinner at their favorite local Indian place, then walked down by the river, hearing stories about the city's history. We grabbed another drink and enjoyed the lovely company while appreciating being able to sit outside while not plagued by heat, bugs or cold (a rare luxury!). The next morning we had a great breakfast in the sun room before driving off.
That day's drive took us west through South Dakota to the Badlands. A study in contrasts, leaving the banks of the Mississipi to cross the flat land of Dakota and arrive at the Wall of the Badlands at sunset. More about that section of the journey in the next post.
Our first night in the Land of a Thousand Lakes was spent just over the border after a long drive north through Iowa. Our first experience with the windmills of the midwest was at night, and it took quite a while to figure out what the row of high, blinking red lights could possibly be. Airport? Too tall. Alien landing guides? Sure.... Oh, wind turbines! It was fun to wake up and see what the land looked like in the daylight. We had an easy drive up to Northfield, where we got a sandwich at Hogan Brothers (I love it for the sake of nostalgia, but those are particularly forgettable sandwiches), walked around the campus, dropped in on my biology advisor Matt Rand and had a lovely chat, then grabbed coffee at Blue Monday's. A quick walk around Farm House (being a sketchy alum taking pictures), we marveled at the huge garden they now have, took a quick walk in the Arb in a rain shower, then said hello to Kaaren Williamson before going to meet with frances and Stephanie. We had a wonderful time eating at Chapati, drinking beers and running into friends and acquaintances at the Contented Cow, and then playing late(ish) night Bananagrams with them. After a morning trip to Jesse James Days we said a sad farewell and headed up to the Cities. It was good to be back, and a little strange, and mostly a delightful chance to reconnect with a place that meant, and still means, a lot to me. Even more wonderful was the chance to share it with Becky!
After a stop at REI to pick up some long underwear (Yellowstone is cold this time of year!) we took the recommendation of Teague and Doug and set up shop at the Wilde Roast in Minneapolis. It's a great little coffee shop/cafe/bar that was the perfect place to host social office hours. We got to say hello to a wonderful handful of friends from Carleton, and even a Mt Holyoke friend as well. Thanks to everyone who came out! Lots of talk of nostalgic memories and a dose of planning for the future ("what are YOU going to do with your life?"). Becky joked that we hadn't heard of many people who wanted to teach at a liberal arts college until we met my friends, most of whom want to metaphorically (or literally) return to Carleton to teach. Ah, hopeless academics.
Our evening was spent with Esther and Patrick, friends of our family since Dad met Esther about 20 years ago. We had a delicious dinner at their favorite local Indian place, then walked down by the river, hearing stories about the city's history. We grabbed another drink and enjoyed the lovely company while appreciating being able to sit outside while not plagued by heat, bugs or cold (a rare luxury!). The next morning we had a great breakfast in the sun room before driving off.
That day's drive took us west through South Dakota to the Badlands. A study in contrasts, leaving the banks of the Mississipi to cross the flat land of Dakota and arrive at the Wall of the Badlands at sunset. More about that section of the journey in the next post.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Queer and Corney
We left James's house yesterday morning after watching Noah catch the bus. It ends up my childhood St. Louis suburban home is in James's backyard. Not even a mile and two turns and we found ourselves staring at Green Pines Elementary School, 16657 Westglen Farms Rd and a skip and a jump away from Hollister Crossing. Pics are included mostly for Mom and Dee. It doesn't really pull at me that strongly but its always interesting to see a place you almost remember.
The Arch, a.k.a. The Gateway to the West was pretty cool. Totally worth going up in. There were two Muslim gentlemen going up the same time as us. As we notice that we are becoming increasingly more self aware of our gayness we wondered if these two gentlemen in their traditional dress felt the same as we did if not more acutely. Welcome and unlikely comrades in the land of republicans and anti-mosque, anti-gay talk shows, billboards and bumper stickers.
The heartland is... well... growing corn and beef which we knew. Its a loud reminder of the diversity in our country to go from East Coast city to suburbs to the rural Midwest one horse towns.
It ends up that in the country you can paint a bicycle on the bumpy shoulder and call it a bike lane. Don't get us wrong, it would have been a beautiful ride. Its just the trucks going 65 on the tiny two lane road that would scare the crap out of us. Also in case you're headed this way, there is an awesome food co-op in Iowa City. And just for the record, the Minnesota stars are gorgeous. The milky way is super clear. I hope to make a tradition of climbing onto a picnic table to lie on my back and be amazed by the twinkling, giggle and/or contemplate the universe after a long day of driving.
Today = Carleton College
Tomorrow = Minneapolis
Sunday = To the Badlands
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Road food
Eating on the road is always a challenge, but for these two vegetarians, being happy with the road food can take extra creativity. So what are we eating? Here's a summary or a collection of notes about what has worked:
The internet. Gotta admit, having the Droid has revolutionized the afternoon coffee stop. We can easily find a Starbucks or local coffee shop and it's nice to have access to espresso. Yes, we're east coast coffee snobs.
The internet has also made it easy find co-ops or Whole Foods or even just grocery stores, places that we can fairly easily find the makings of a good picnic.
The salad bar picnic has become a staple. In DC, especially, a stop at Whole Foods to grab a salad from the salad bar, a hunk of cheese and a loaf of bread got us through at least one meal, if not two at a time. We've been able to do similar stunts in Iowa City, at their lovely co-op, and have used the Kraft prepackaged salads as substitutes in Indianapolis. Pretty good, actually. The only funny thing is that, while in the cities, it was really hard to find a place to picnic, so we've occasionally settled down on the sides of parking lots (see photo, coming in next post). Not glamorous, but convenient.
When we're ready to get fancy, we pull over at a roadside table and pull out the stove. Sliced onions and garlic, sauteed with a can of black beans and salsa, all wrapped up in a burrito, hits the spot. We've also found bags of pre-cooked brown rice in grocery stores, which pair well with the pre-made indian food packets also for sale. Yum!
Snacks! Bags of roasted/salted nuts, granola and candies (thanks, Carrie!) are often knocking around the passenger footwell. Nut consumption follows a now-predictable pattern: the passenger pours out a handful, Becky rescues the Brazil nuts from otherwise certainly being discarded, were I in charge (do they taste moldy to anyone else?), then we pick through the almonds and cashews, getting the hazelnuts in there as we can.
Becky has also discovered that it's pretty easy to make me happy by getting me ice cream. There was that incredible ice cream in Columbus, then a mini Ben and Jerry's container did the trick during our push through Iowa, and surely there will be other ice cream stops, as well. Good stuff.
It may be more challenging to do find good food as we head into less population-dense areas of the west, but we'll just be more creative and will tell you if we come up with anything good.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Chapins midway
We made it to St Louis in time to distract the studious Joe Franklin, who seems happily settled into a beautiful apartment and his 10 lb case law book. Although we missed Libby (congrats on the job!) we had a lovely visit. We also finally reserved lodging for our Yellowstone adventure. September is too cold for camping, but not late enough for there to reliably be vancancies, so we had to nail down some hotel reservations. A little advance planning is useful and necessary, even on trips with a relaxed schedule.
The rush-hour traffic posed no challenge to these DC-hardened drivers and we made it to Wildwood for dinner. Unexpected and hilarious entertainment was provided by two furry rat pets. Turns out Becky finds little rat paws and kisses to be the most tickley! Once the four footed friends were put to bed, the great food, conversation and instrumental performances rounded out a delightful evening.
~hannah
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Family in the HEARTland
(The full story, which unfolded over the next hours, is that the moving truck was stuck in a multi-hour traffic jam due to an overturned tractor trailer, and ended up not even being able to deliver that day. They did come back the next day and delivered our things, and Susan was the MOST helpful. What a mess!)
We finally got to dinner and had a lovely time catching up with Rachel, Jeff, Stephanie, Cheryl and John. Sorry the visit was too short to see all the cousins!
Pics:
1. Jimmy and me
2. Mammaw and me
3. Stephanie, Rachel and me
4. Cheryl and me
Mom - I'm posting more on Picassa!
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Monday, September 6, 2010
Great pics from the Mid-Atlantic and Columbus OH
2. Hannah ready for a picnic.
3. Becky's a superhero
4. The Wolf Pack.
5. Annie Michaelis's bachlorette prewedding bash!
6 Mikaela and Kris in D.C.
7. Hannah being sweet.
7 the national building museum
8. Becky loving her new guitar
9. Laura, Nicole and Hannah at The Sound of Music at The Wolf Trap.
10. Leah Blasiak and Rob with Hannah
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