Some preparation...

So I'm actually starting to count down the days until I leave on my BIG adventure and am trying to get all my ducks in a row. For example - if this post is successful it will be the first one on my new iPad! I want to get it right in case the application I downloaded doesn't work well...

It's interesting - I've already learned a bit about myself in the process of planning the trip. When I first decided to leave my job and life and spend some time traveling I had this idea in my head that I would suddenly become this spontaneous person who could just not know where I would be the next day... roaming from place to place just seeing where life takes me. Of course the more research I did on each of the places I wanted to go, the more I had to plan to be sure I'd hit the sites and the more anxious I got to get everything set. Don't worry, theres still plenty of room for surprises, but do I have all my flights booked? YES! Do I have most of my hotels/hostels set? YES! And do I have travel companions for a pretty good portion and where we will meet up arranged? You know it.

For those of you who read this (all two of you I sent the link to thus far) please feel free to send me comments with suggestions for bettering my blog. This doesn't come naturally to me but I want a fun log of my trip and possibly more importantly I want to share a piece of it with everyone in my life who has been so supportive!

As I write this going forward! Here are my rules for the blog:

1) Update frequently - the goal is once per day but depending on the free wifi situations this may not end up 100% the case.

2) Stay positive - if you know me well you probably know my tendency to go toward the darker side. That is not the goal of the trip and certainly is not where I will let myself go on the blog.

3) As few typos as possible - already this seems difficult... Typing on the touch pad is not all that conducive and the apple smart spell thing... We'll see how that goes.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad!!!

Now I ain't saying he's a gold digger...

So I wanted a fun adventure hike this weekend, and that's exactly what I got.  Rob had read about "the bridge to nowhere" hike - a moderate 9 miler that leads to a bridge in the middle of nowhere that was a part of a project in the 1930's, abandoned after a destructive flood washed away most of the work - so we thought "COOL!" and did little other research.  Along with Rob's friend Teagan and a ton of snacks, the we met up at a leisurely pace Saturday morning and headed out towards the unknown.  

Foreboding right?

A few unforeseen challenges: 

It didn't take long for us to realize that this wasn't an "easy" hike.  The first real obstacle we were presented with was a very rocky waterfront that required some serious talent, maneuvering, and forethought so as not to get wet. Oh the things we did, and the stress we put ourselves through for the sake of dryness... and then phew! We made it through!!! Only to find out 5 minutes later that we HAD to cross at the next point - there was a rope to hold onto so as not to get swept up in the current and everything.  Not only did our feet get wet, we went in up to the butt - and not just that time but AT LEAST 5 other times (and a few false/unnecessary crossings as well). At least when we came upon that first obstacle on the way back we didn't think twice - just plunged right on it!

It's deeper than it looks...

On the drive up, Rob casually said, "I'm cool with anything, so long as there aren't any snakes."  Famous last 

words.  About 30 minute in, single file hiking, Teagan, just a step ahead, let out a scream and jumped. A split second later my foot is inches from stepping on a side-winding RATTLESNAKE! Oh the panic! I made it across the path to Teagan safely.  Poor Rob, bringing up the rear, was NOT having it.  He cautiously stood, frozen on the other side of the divide that the snake had now created.  To make matters worse - the snake got across the trail and then coiled up in the shrubs facing the path, waiting to attack.  If it weren't for the old pro who just charged on past us without a care in the world, despite our dramatic warning, we might still be standing in the same place, staring at each other, and then back at the snake.

At one point the trip turned into an obstacle course when the only way down was a very steep rock and a rope.  The way down was scary enough that we talked about how to avoid it on the way back.  We couldn't think of a way... and it was real easy going up. 

Some fun surprises: 

I saw my very first real live GOLD DIGGERS!!! Yes, you read that right! Apparently, they still exist.  If you ever feel the need for something to get you rich and quick, you heard it here first, head on up to East Fork Fire Station, hit the trails and stake your claim on the riverfront! You. are. welcome. 

(Teagan tried to get some pictures but gold diggers don't love the camera...)

Bungee Jumping! No, we didn't partake, but did you know, The Bridge to Nowhere is the ONLY place in the southwest United States where bungee jump thrill seekers can get their fix?! How do more people not know that?  We stopped and picnicked at the bridge while watching a group do jump after jump! I do plan to bungee in New Zealand, so it was fun to get a bit prepped by watching "jump styles."

Just jumping off a bridge... to nowhere.

We wondered if the ghosts of the workers of this bridge are disappointed in what's happened...