O Canada

Hmm, how should I sum up my trip without being wordy? In a general sense, it was a great time. The workshop was a great learning experience and I met some cool people. I don't feel like I "networked" enough, but a majority of people there were university professors, Canadian forecasters, and random Europeans. The conference was a little drier and more boring and had less useful information. The weather was great if not a bit warm (near 90), except chilly (60's) and showery on the weekend (of course). The trip was really long... about 12 hours total after factoring in waiting at the airport, making stops, and waiting at customs at the border. Based on my exposure, I must say I like Washington/British Columbia a lot better than Utah. There are still huge mountains but also water and trees. There were several sections of road that definitely reminded me of the east coast. On the way back, our van got to Seattle a little early, so Jim took us on a neat little tour since he used to live there.

I can't say I had a real Canada experience, since Whistler is nothing more than a fake touristy resort village. We did stop at a Tim Horton's (similar to Dunkin Donuts) on the way out which is apparently the place to be in Canada. Just about everything in Whistler cost twice as much as it does in the U.S. At least places took American money, but gave you 1 to 1 which isn't a great exchange rate. With bar beer costing $7 each or $20 for a pitcher, it was a good thing we stopped at Costco in Washington and brought 7 cases of our own (it was perfectly legal, and we did have 10 people staying 12 days).

Besides the conference, I went on one real hike (Garibaldi Lake), a fake hike (gondola and gravel road to Whistler Peak), and a few walks (around nearby lakes), all with great scenery. However, hiking was generally farther away/less accessible than Salt Lake City, and tended to be either 10 miles one way or a casual stroll with nothing in between. Some people did more adventurous things, but I otherwise did stuff in town. That had its disadvantages too, because our condo was located a 20 minute walk away, via a multi-use path. It was lighted but still a little sketchy at night, not because of muggers, but because of bears (a few people did see some out and about). That walk got really old after two weeks. I can't complain though because our condo was nice and adequately roomy, but lacked air conditioning, so my upstairs bedroom was rather stuffy.

There are now 107 pictures of my adventures on Webshots, and that's with me leaving out 40 or so due to crappiness or repetitiveness. I've obviously left out a lot of details here, so the gaps are somewhat filled in with the captions and subcaptions. I can't believe I'm off again on Wednesday to Monterey, but at least I can use my phone there without being charged $0.79 per minute.

Family Visit and Upcoming Events

Mom, Dad, and Kelly were here two weeks ago for a visit. Events were similar to those of Poo and Bob, minus Antelope Island and Golden Spike Monument. But we did make a trip to Yellowstone. We went up through West Yellowstone, and then down the southwest side of the park and saw Old Faithful and the other geyser type things, along with a herd of elk. We returned to West Yellowstone to spend the night. The next day we went through the central part of the park, seeing several waterfalls and Norris geyser basin. We then spent some time in the canyon area, getting awesome views of both the upper and lower falls, from the brink and from afar. We then traveled southward along the lake area, ate a picnic lunch along the river, saw a lot of bison, and stopped at a few more geological spectacles. We had hoped to go on a little hike, but time was running short. We then exited the park through Grand Teton, stopping at several overlooks of the mountains, lakes, and valleys. By the time we ate dinner, it was 8:30 or later, and we highly doubted we could find a room in Jackson, WY on a Saturday night. So we drove on, hoping to come across a decent motel in some small town. We eventually found the Wyoming Inn in Labarge, WY. It wasn't a dump nor the Hilton, but a nicely kept local motel. Labarge was located in the middle of the desert with a population of 400. There was only one restaurant open for breakfast on Sunday morning (only one other eating establishment in town anyway), but it had good food. However, there were three bars, which seemed to be a common theme in these small towns (we passed lots of places the night before filled with cowboys). Yellowstone is a really neat place, and quite convenient to Salt Lake City (~5 hours), but multiple days are needed to thoroughly enjoy the park since it's so large.

I went on a hike last weekend called the Brighton Traverse, which basically looped along the ridgeline surrounding the Brighton Ski Area. There were seven people who went, and we saw a moose to start our journey. I had a good time, as this hike was more my pace, difficulty level, and duration. All pictures will be posted on Webshots soon.

I'm preparing to leave Monday for my trip to Canada. There are 10 students and four faculty going. We are flying to Seattle (much cheaper than Vancouver) and then driving vans the rest of the way to Whistler (home of the 2010 Winter Games). A road closure may complicate our plans, but that would be OK with me since I love alternate routes. The Mountain Meteorology Workshop is Tuesday to Friday, with the Conference held the following week. I don't have to present, so it will basically be a learning experience/networking opportunity/vacation for me. For the weekend in between, some people are planning a crazy backpacking trip, but I'm sure those of us staying behind will find something fun to do. I'm pretty excited to be leaving the country for the first time, even if it is just over the border. After I return, I only have five days before I leave for Monterey, CA to help with the field program (more details as the time arrives). The summer is really flying by! And it's hard to believe I've been in Utah for one year now!