Questionable

How about something for the chicks, Hampton Inn?

I like Hampton Inns. They are a good, mid-range hotel chain with consistent amenities and friendly people. They have a decent breakfast, free wireless, and comfy beds with duvets rather than icky never-washed polyester blankets. When I stay at a Hampton Inn I know exactly what I'm going to get. But that's also a problem. Hampton Inns (and most Hiltons) won't shell out for full basic cable in the rooms and limit the choices to almost all sports and news channels. It makes me wonder if Hampton Inn really thinks about their female visitors. It drives me batty. To the point that everything else being equal, I'll choose another chain over Hampton Inn just so I can watch popcorn television as I'm trying to fall asleep.

Case in point. J and I are staying in a Hampton Inn in Chicago. We wanted to stay in the Loop because of the proximity to the apartments we're looking at. The Hampton Inn offered unbelievably cheap $110/night rates. And we haven't been dissatisfied with the location or the hotel. Except when I turn the TV on at night and am faced with this channel lineup (Note: the room has a large flat-screen HD TV):

NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, CW, HBO (and HBO HD), Weather, MeTV (all pretty standard)
ESPN (HD), ESPN2 (HD), ESPN News, ESPN Classic, ESPN, ESPN2, ComCast Sportsnet, The Golf Channel
CNN, CNN Headline News, FOX News, CNBC, MSNBC
Discovery, TNT, TBS, USA, A&E, History Channel, Cartoon Network, Animal Planet, ABC Family

I have no idea why they have to have both the HD and non-HD versions of HBO and some of the ESPN channels. Couldn't they use those channel slots for, I don't know, HGTV or TLC? And the Golf Channel? Really? The other 7 million sports channels don't carry golf?

Then when they do get to picking basic cable channels, I'm stuck with male oriented (Discovery and History) or family and kids (Cartoon, Animal Planet, and ABC Family). That leaves TNT, TBS, USA, and A&E, which have become the repeat channels (or, in the case of TNT, repeats, bad movies, and basketball).

So, Hampton Inn, what you're trying to tell me is that you'll cater to men and you'll cater to men with kids, but you won't cater to women/moms?

Voyageurs pictures are up

My travel pix are up (see the link, upper left). Here are a few of the good ones.

This one was taken from the dock in front of our resort.

I got lots of this pelican, which liked to follow around this gull.

One of the many eagles.

And two of the many eaglets.

Ellsworth rock garden. I really wish an organization would fund its renewal.

Once you go big, you never go back

When J and I met, we each had a queen bed. He moved into my place, so we slept in my bed and his went in the guest room. When we moved into our current house, we donated my really old bed and bought a king bed. His bed is still used for guests. You know what the downfall of getting used to a king bed is? You can't go smaller again. We can't stand sleeping in a queen bed anymore. It is hot and squishy. There jut isn't enough room. When we planned our trip up north, we realized we would have a bedroom with a queen bed and a room with two twins. We thought we'd push the two twins together to make a king, but when we got here we realized the twin beds were so soft neither of us could sleep in them. So, what did we do? J discovered that the small couches each pulled out into a twin bed. He lay down in one and was so comfortable, he let me sleep in the queen bed. Each night, he has slept in this really little twin pullout with a thin mattress and has been completely content. I can't even wake him up in the morning he is sleeping so well

Voyageurs National Park - Day Three

Well, we survived traversing the lake to see the Ellsworth Rock Gardens. The gardens were created between the 1940s and 60s by one man and his wife. He developed 69 terraced beds and built over 200 stone sculptures on a large peninsula inaccessible by car. (This place wasn't even a national park yet. He just created them because he summered here.) After his death, the gardens fell into disrepair. About 80 of the sculptures have been restored and the feds and volunteers are trying to get some of the flowers back, but this requires lots of money and manpower. Even in their barren states, the gardens are amazing to look at. Here's a little more about the place.

I didn't love being out in the open water in the tiny boat, but it turned out fine. We had a crappy navigational map, but I managed to get us back in one piece. This afternoon we went to the local beach, which isn't really a beach because the water is so high. By keeping our legs covered to ward off biting flies, we were able to sit and read for about an hour. We both considered swimming, but this lake just isn't appealing to us. It is dark from the minerals, which gives it sort of an ominous appearance.

Last night we witnessed something so indicative of small town Midwest that I feel the need to mention it here. Up the road a few miles is a general store/souvenir shop/bait and fishing shop/gas station/post office. We've stopped here a few times to pick up a couple of things we forgot. Last night, we went for ice cream cones. Inside were teenagers working the counter, their friends hanging out, and one computer with Internet access. They were taking turns picking songs on youtube and blasting them from horrid PC speakers. And, they were completely delighted to be earning cash, gossiping, and jamming tunes.

It is damn hot up here. Our neighbors are running their air. We haven't given in yet, but if it doesn't cool off tonight, we may also succumb to temptation. Tomorrow we're home.

Voyageurs National Park - Day Two

You know what makes any vacation great? Good weather. And we've had it. Today it was over 80 degrees. I don't know how often that happens way the heck up here, but people were enjoying it.

Last night our resort had fireworks. I expected three sparklers and a bottle rocket, but they actually did a very nice job lighting real fireworks. A few of them went sideways, and the college kids lighting them off had to run in terror, but from our balcony vantage point up a little hill they were great.

We picked the perfect day to go on a boat tour of eagle nests around Rainy Lake. We saw a number of nesting pairs and lots of eaglets. We were fortunate in that all the babies were sitting up around the ridge of the nests rather than inside. I think they liked the good weather too. There were only six people on the tour so we each got our own seat. Of course, J and I were the only two without a photo competition quality camera. I wanted to watch the eagles, not try to win a contest. So, I settled in with my binoculars and enjoyed the breeze. I did snap a few casual shots, but you can really only see brown lumps in the trees.

We also drove around International Falls and Fort Francis, Canada. Both towns are a little sad, but we did find a Tim Hortons in on the Canadian side, so that made up for the lack of tourism options. The guards at the border sort of chuckled when we told them we came over the border, visited Tim Hortons, and came back.

Tomorrow my husband is taking me in a very small 16ft aluminum fishing boat, across Lake Kebatogama so I can see some amazing gardens. I'm bringing an entire backpack full of additional stuff because I'm convinced we're not going to make it without either ending up lost or marooned and wet on an island.

PS There is a gigantic wolf spider outside our condo near our balcony.

Voyageurs National Park - Day One

We're pretty consistent in how we celebrate our national holidays. We almost always spend Memorial Day weekend with my family and we almost always spend Labor Day weekend in Grand Marais . During Independence Day weekend we like to experiment. We've been in Canada and in Iceland. We've also visited a number of locations in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. This year, we're trying Voyageurs National Park. We're staying at a little resort with about 10 cabins and four condo/apartments. The cabins were rented so we opted for a little 2 bedroom condo with a view over the lake. Very nice, typical setup. And, you know me, it has Internet access. Given that it is over a satellite, I'm surprised by the speed. We don't actually have satellite television, but I'm good with just the Internet.

Today, we explored two of the park headquarter buildings and hiked out to a point over Lake Kebatogama. The payoff was a really nice view of the lake, but the hike wasn't as fun. First, we have equipment failure. In J's attempt to help me pack, he brought the wrong hiking shoes. I'm not sure why he crawled to the back of a closet and selected them from a pile of stuff going to Goodwill, rather than just picked the pair sitting by the back door. So, my feet are uncomfortable during hikes. Second, the mosquitoes were as bad as I've ever seen them. We were swarmed. Fortunately, we were wearing our Ultrathon*, so I only was bit once and J was only bit three times. But, they buzzed around my head and made me nuts. This meant that our hike turned into a sort of forced, quick march thru the woods with no stops to listen to the birds or try and spot a moose (we saw fresh tracks). I'm not complaining, the park and the lakes are beautiful. I'm just choosing to forget the buzzzzzzzzing in my ears.

The beauty of this place isn't the resorts and view of the lake. It is the peninsula in the middle of the lake, which is only accessible by boat. You don't really even see the people around here. Everyone is on one of the lakes fishing or tootling along in a houseboat or out on that peninsula . Tomorrow it is our turn. We're doing an eagle and bird watching tour on Rainy Lake and then on Saturday we're going to rent a little boat here and see that peninsula for ourselves.

Have a great 4th everyone. No pictures until we get home.

*Ultrathon is made by 3M. From what I understand, it has less Deet than Deep Woods Off, but bonds to clothing better so the mosquitoes are more repelled by it. Apparently, it was developed for the military to use in really buggy places.

Dr. Evermor's Forevertron

About 20 minutes from my brother's house is a big field of welded sculpture. I've wanted to stop and check out this place for a few years and finally got the chance over Memorial Day weekend. I really can't describe the magic of this sculpture garden. In the center of the field of whimsical creatures is a huge piece called the Forevertron. From Wikipedia,

Its creator, Dr. Evermor, was born Tom Every^[1] in Brooklyn, Wisconsin and is a former demolition expert who spent decades collecting antique machinery for the sculpture and the surrounding fiction that justifies it. According to Every, Dr. Evermor is a fictional Victorian inventor who designed the Forevertron to launch himself "into the heaven on a magnetic lightning force beam." In addition to the Forevertron itself, Every/Evermor has built a tea house from which he says Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (both long dead in reality) may observe the event. The sculpture incorporates an actual decontamination chamber from the Apollo Project, as well as dynamos built by Thomas Edison, and scrap salvaged from the nearby Badger Army Ammunition Plant. Dr. Evermore's Art Park is also home to many other sculptures, including various gigantic insects and a bird symphony. The park is closed on Tuesday and Wednesdays. On the days when it is open, if the main gates are still locked the park can be accessed from the junkyard of the surplus store adjacent to it.

I've got a link to all my pictures up to the left, but the white balance is off on some of them, so they really don't do the place justice. (And I'm way too lazy to try and correct them).

 
Also read this article for more info.

And see good pictures at Wired here.

Rake Mag article here.

Sunny Florida?

J needed a break from the daily grind and I needed some vitamin D so we took a quick trip to Florida last week. Neither of us has spent much time in Florida (we did go to Key West in 2002) so we thought we'd give it a shot. We picked a touristy beach, which bragged of 360 days of sunshine a year, and figured we'd sit there for a few days. After trying the beach holiday for a few days I can say that I find the whole thing less than exciting. I just don't get people choosing to sit on a beach and read day after day. I get ants in my pants. I prefer more active vacations, which usually include some form of walking or hiking. Even with daily morning walks on the beach, I didn't get the appeal. (And the food in this particular beach town was horrid. The bars even closed by about 10 p.m.) Anyway, it gave J time to cool off and relax. And, it should have provided me a much needed dose of sunshine. It did. For two days. Then it rained for a day. Then we got record cold weather (it was warmer in MN) combined with gale force winds. I did manage to sunburn my head, however. Have you ever seen a puss-y scalp? Nope? Well neither had I until earlier this week. Now the whole thing is peeling off in sheets. Gross. Completely.

Does it sound like I'm actually bitching about taking a vacation? I kinda am. I know, annoying, STFU and all.

My favorite picture from the trip. The rest can be found by clicking the link above left. The set includes some interesting bird shots hastily snapped between rain drops at a refuge.

This is one of my favorite things: Pacsafe Metrosafe 200

First Oprah did it, then Christopher did it, now I'm doing it. For awhile, I've been thinking about occasionally writing about products I love. Today I start.

I love Pacsafe's Metrosafe 200. I've been using this bag for travel for a few years and it doesn't show a single sign of wear. What I like best is that I can sling it over the front of my body, lock the front zipper and walk through a crowd without much worrying about the contents. The strap and body panels are reinforced with metal to make them slash proof and the locking zipper means hands stay out of my bag. It is big enough for a camera, water, map, guide book, extra batteries, wallet, comb, pen paper. But it isn't too big. It fits nicely at my hip. It is also pretty unisex (particularly in black). I have seen men carrying these. The price is also good at $60 considering the years of use that are possible.

San Miguel de Allende Day Twelve

After Wednesday's big adventure to see the monarchs, I wasn't sure if I was ready to spend another day in a car. But, we signed up for it, so away we went, just J, the guide, and me to Guanajuato, about 90 minutes from here. Guanajuato is a larger city than SMDA and is a college town. While also a colonial town, it doesn't have the old history of SMDA. Thus the architecture is different and being a college town, there is far more energy. We loved it there and wish we would have had more time there.

We spent the morning, slowiy making our way there, the back way, through the moutains, while learning about Juarez, de Allende, and other Mexican heroes. J was really into the history stuff, but I started to tune it out. On the way, we stopped at a ceramics workshop in Santa Rosa. The ceramics there are exported around the world and if I showed you a piece, you would recognize it (it is not the brightly colored stuff sometimes known as Talavera).

In Guanajuato, we first stopped at another baroque church (this one in the traditional style) before going to a Mexican handicraft store run by a Minnesotan who also teaches at the university there. I bought a catrina. I've been admiring the different skeleton figures throughout this trip, but finally found one I wanted. You can get them in any shape, style, and cost. Mine is wood, wears a red dress with white flowers, and has the traditional big had. After shopping, we were given a tour of the underground roads and sidewalks before having an exquisite lunch of a bunch of different regional specialties. In the afternoon, we wandered around town and admired the architecture. We would have liked to visit two of the museums and take a ride up the hill via the funicular, be we ran out of time.

I'm writing this Friday afternoon (day 13) on my roof deck. We spent the day shopping for last minute trinkets. We'll probably go out to eat tonight. We go home in the morning. My next post will be written after I get home and will hopefully summarize my thoughts and feelings about Mexico. This is such a beautiful place, with friendly, wonderful people. But it is so fucked up. I don't know any other way to put it. I've been infuriated throughout much of the trip because the water in SMDA is undrinkable due to the sewer pipes and the water pipes being intermingled. This forces each and every household to install a water purifying system or to buy bottled water. How does this make sense? And what does this mean for the people who can't afford bottled or the purifier. And ecologically, all the bottles are not a good thing. Then I find out that there are no property taxes and Americans are living in multi-million dollar homes. Ay yi yi. And these two topics are just the tip of the iceberg.

Photos of day 12 here.

All photos here.