Devils Tower

A view from the trail around Devils Tower

Devils Tower is basically a very large rock (almost 1300ft high) protruding out of the middle of an otherwise fairly barren part of Wyoming. It is also the first National Monument, established by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906. The name comes from a badly-translated Native American name for the place, but it stuck and led to some pretty hokey souvenirs in the gift shop/restaurant (tourist trap) that is along the entrance to the Tower (I still recommend checking out the tourist-trap part of course).

I have been to Devils Tower at least twice, possibly three times. I very much enjoy the place--it's very beautiful and serene, in the middle of a bit of forest. There is a hiking trail that goes all the way around Devils Tower, so you can get a 360-degree view of the laccolith. I love hiking the trail, as well as climbing around on the large boulders at the base of Devils Tower and throughout the area. You can usually see people climbing up the tower as well, which is always an interesting sight. More serious rock climbers might enjoy the challenge of Devils Tower and the view from the top, not just the beautiful views along the hike around the base which I enjoy.

View of Devils Tower from the road approaching it

View from the trail around Devils Tower

A different side of Devils Tower

People following the trail amid the boulders scattered at the base of the Tower

Native American prayer flags near Devils Tower.
 It is a sacred site for many Native American tribes.

Devils Tower from the trail

xoxo, xenophile

Xenophile

Henna done by a very close Indian friend

A Week in West Virginia

In March of 2012, I spent a week visiting a very good friend of mine in West Virginia. She'd moved there to follow her dreams of studying music education at Alderson Broaddus College and to be closer to the love of her life. Alderson Broaddus was only a few hours away from where he lived, a great improvement over the half a continent that had separated them before. 

I spent some time in Philippi (where AB is located), had a date in Clarksburg, went on a side trip to a large mall in Columbus, Ohio, and spent the majority of my time in Parkersburg, West Virginia. During my week I experienced all the strangeness of West Virginia--the slight accents, the cars without front license plates, pepperoni rolls, the forests, mountains, and winding roads. The curvy roads and thick woods were quite beautiful, and reminded me of northern Wisconsin, a place I'll always love. Unlike Wisconsin, West Virginia is mountainous, and I very much enjoyed the surprising views of cities and farms while driving through the Appalachians. 

The pictures here were taken from atop Fort Boreman, a Civil War fort overlooking the city of Parkersburg. The view of the city and the river that runs through it was excellent, and the cannons weren't guarded by no-touching signs (which is always a plus!). I took some pictures of my friend and her now-husband and very much enjoyed a nice spring day at this historic site. 

I also enjoyed trying my first pepperoni roll--I sampled three different varieties during my week. One was from the college in Philippi, one was from a little bakery along a quaint one-way street in Clarksburg (one of the first bakeries to begin making the tasty treats), and the last was a highly-recommended--and very greasy--one from a gas station in Parkersburg. The pepperoni roll is a snack made from a soft bread roll. It's baked with pepperoni and usually cheese in the middle, and the juices from the baking pepperoni do some good things for the little snack. They were first made as an easy lunch for coal miners, and are almost exclusively found in West Virginia. 

Which is unfortunate, because I enjoyed all three pepperoni rolls, and have been craving one, just a little, ever since I left.

The Clarksburg bakery & Parkersburg gas station pepperoni rolls, respectively

xoxo, xenophile

Ciudad Acuña, Mexico - A Photostory

A row of houses at sunrise

"The Doves Tortilla Shop" - the owner was just opening for the day

Colorful houses at sunrise

A vendor selling tamales and snacks from his portable stall

A graffiti'd stop sign and a pink house and fence

Luis, a 7-year-old boy, sitting between two houses

Food--fresh, canned, or snack--available at the neighborhood Corner Store

A young man who added height to his bicycle using re-bar

Another row of colorful houses - a typical scene in Acuña

xoxo, xenophile

Disappointment at Cocoa Beach

It was Memorial Day weekend, 2011. Almost the entire reason I'd gone on this trip was because I wanted to swim in the ocean, and hadn't yet had a chance. After spending 30 hours straight crammed on a bus, we all wanted to hop in the ocean just to feel clean again! Luckily, our first stop was at Cocoa Beach, Florida. We changed into our swimming attire, checked out Ron Jon's Surf Shop and even bought a few souvenirs. However, when we made it down to the beach, we found out terrible news: we couldn't swim. There was a freak jellyfish invasion that had never happened before at Cocoa Beach, and since we didn't know who was allergic and who wasn't, none of us could swim. Just my luck. We went swimming back at the hotel pool, but it really wasn't the same. I did, however, get to see the ocean, surfers, and far more jellyfish than I'd ever wanted to see.

xoxo, xenophile