Tag / Grand Canyon

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It’s Time To Dance

The nation’s attention turns to the college hoops scene for the next few weeks as the NCAA tournament kicks off later today.  I’m not in any pools this year, so most of these selections have no ultimate bearing on my life, aside from personal pride.  I do have the potential to purchase tickets for future rounds should a certain school from West Lafayette manage to get out of their own way and not embarrass themselves this weekend.  So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s selections.

My selections here are mostly chalk, with a couple early upsets but with the top four seeds heading to the Sweet Sixteen.  Iowa State is my pick to advance to the Final Four.

Fun fact: the first men’s college basketball game I ever attended was Purdue versus Houston at Market Square Arena back in 1993.  Both teams are once again top seeds in this tournament.  I’m hoping Nebraska continues to pull off upsets against teams they have no business beating.  In the end, though, I have Marquette going on to Phoenix.

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It’s Time To Go Dancing

The nation’s attention turns to the college hoops scene for the next few weeks as the NCAA tournament kicks off later today.  I’m not in any pools this year, so most of these selections have no ultimate bearing on my life, aside from personal pride.  I do happen to have a hotel room booked for Houston for Final Four weekend just in case, so fingers crossed.  So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s selections.

Alabama enters the tournament under a cloud of scandal, as their star player was recently involved in the murder of a young woman.  Because of that, I have second seed Arizona going to the Final Four.

Fun fact: the first college basketball game I ever attended was Purdue versus Houston at Market Square Arena back in 1993.  Both teams are top seeds in this tournament.  It pains me to have Indiana going as far as I do, but they were a formidable opponent this year, so I see them giving the field a run for their money.  In the end, though, I have Xavier going on to Houston.

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Book 37 (of 52) – Nowhere for Very Long

Nowhere For Very Long: The Unexpected Road To An Unconventional Life – Brianna Madia

Brianna Madia, a lifestyle influencer on Instagram, shares her story of abandoning the typical ideas of civilization and moving into a giant orange van with her husband and dogs, exploring the deserts of Utah and surrounding areas.  At some point, they nearly kill one of their dogs, lie to her followers about exactly what happened, and collected at least $100,000 for his care and recovery.  While the dog recovered, her marriage did not, as the guilt of hurting the dog and taking money from strangers tore their relationship apart.

I’m not entirely sure how Nowhere For Very Long landed on my radar, but it was an interesting read.  The author basically took my one day in Arizona back in 2018 where I went to the slot canyons and the Grand Canyon and turned it into a full-time gig.  Who amongst us hasn’t dreamed of giving it all up and living in the back of a van with a couple of dogs?  Or at least part of that.

There is some controversy about the incident with the dog, and it’s hard to tell exactly where the truth lies.  If it happened as she describes in the book, then it was truly an accident and one that, while it could have been avoided, wasn’t too outrageous given how they lived.  If it happened as speculated elsewhere, then let’s just say not everything is worth getting the perfect shot for your Instagram followers.

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Travelling The 50 States – Arizona

Over my 47 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we start today with the 48th state to be added to the Union: Arizona.

State: Arizona
Joined the Union: 1912
Visits: 2

Both of my trips to Arizona have occurred within the past seven years, first in 2015 and then again in 2018.  Both visits can also be connected to my job, either directly or indirectly.

In 2015, my first trip to Arizona was for a work recognition trip in March.  Staying at The Phoenician resort for three nights, we enjoyed the facilities (especially the pool), took a rafting trip down the Lower Salt River, and travelled to an offsite ranch for a farewell dinner.  Outside of the work-related activities, I also managed to sneak in a Friday afternoon trip to Sloan Park to see the Cubs battle the White Sox in exciting Cactus League action.   Rather than heading home, I extended my stay for a couple of days.

Saturday, after a trip to the airport to pick up a rental car, we headed to Camelback Ranch in Glendale to watch the White Sox take on the visiting A’s in another installment of the Cactus League.  Looking for some non-baseball activities, Sunday consisted of a lake cruise along Lake Pleasant while Monday started at Heard Museum, which claims to be one of the premier Native American museums in the United States.  When that turned into kind of a bust, we headed to nearby Chase Field for a tour of the home of the Diamondbacks.

I returned to the Phoenix area in 2018, following another work trip.  A conference in Las Vegas led to me stopping in Arizona for the weekend before heading home.  I again took in some Cactus League action, this time at Camelback Ranch and Peoria Sports Complex, seeing the White Sox, Cubs, and Mariners (twice!).  I also enjoyed a trip to the slot canyons and Horseshoe Bend in Page, followed by a quick trip to the Grand Canyon.  I also managed to see my dad for the first time in years (and, to date, the last time I’ve seen him).  He had recently moved to the Tuscon area and drove up for a quick bite to eat before going back home.

Will I return?  I have to assume that yes, I will return to Arizona someday.  Leaving aside any future spring training action, I do need to take in an actual game at Chase Field at some point.  I will also likely need to deal with something related to my dad.  So I’d say the odds are much better than 50/50.

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Socially Distanced Dancing

Because money is more important than the health of their so-called student athletes, the NCAA tournament returns after a year break caused by the outbreak of the corona virus.  For reasons that I’m sure make some sort of sense, games this year will be Friday through Monday instead of Thursday through Sunday.  As the nation’s attention is grabbed for the next few weeks, let’s take a look at my picks for this year’s tournament.

A few minor upsets, but the overall #1 seed, Gonzaga, makes it out on their way to the Final Four.

Purdue finds themselves the #4 seed, playing tomorrow night at Lucas Oil Stadium.  Again, there’s a few minor upsets early in the going, but I have things chalk in the Elite Eight, where Ohio State, the #2 seed, gets through. Continue reading →

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Book 13 (of 52) – Grand

Grand – Sara Schaefer

Comedian Sara Schaefer took a rafting trip into the Grand Canyon with her younger sister to celebrate her 40th birthday.  That trip becomes the framing device for her life story, as she faces her physical fears on the Colorado River and details the emotional fears that have built up over her lifetime, from the announcement from her parents that upended her life as a child, to her mother’s breast cancer battle and eventual death, her failed marriage, and her trials and tribulations in show business.

Of all the comedians I follow on Twitter, Schaefer is the one I’m probably the least familiar with.  I’ve seen her a few times on @Midnight, but, aside from that, there’s not much else.  To be honest, I probably would not have bought this book, but I managed to get an advanced reading copy for free from a Goodreads contest.  When I started the book, I was a little concerned about the framing device of the rafting trip, which alternated chapters with Schaefer’s tales of her younger days.  But, I soon was engrossed by the trip, something I know I would both want to do and never do.

Following up on this experience, I will be looking out for more of her stand-up work.  Maybe even venture out to see her in person, should this pandemic ever make that possible again.

 

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2018: The Year In Travel

As I arrive home from California, I thought it would be nice to look back at the many trips I took last year.  Things got started in March, when I headed out to Las Vegas for the IBM Think conference.  Along the way, I took in a show, Absinthe, at Caesar’s Palace, a Barenaked Ladies concert at Mandalay Bay, and a show by The Chainsmokers at MGM Grand, where I was staying.

Following the conference, I took a detour to Phoenix for a long weekend, where I took in some Cactus League action at Camelback Ranch and Peoria Sports Complex, seeing the White Sox, Cubs, and Mariners (twice!).  I also enjoyed a trip to the slot canyons and Horseshoe Bend in Page, followed by a quick trip to the Grand Canyon.

About a month later, I took a short weekend trip to New York.  Danny, Michael, and I flew to New York on a Friday night, where we met up with Angelina and had dinner with the family she was nannying for.  Saturday was a glorious spring day, spent sight seeing at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, Central Park, the Guggenheim museum, and the Empire State Building.  Sunday was spent at the Lyric Theatre, watching both parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, before heading home early Monday morning.

My next trip came at the end of July, as Val and I headed down to Roanoke, Virginia, to celebrate Jeff’s 50th birthday.  After a day of “work”, the highlight of the trip was Saturday’s hike up Catawba Mountain to McAfee Knob.  Sunday was spent recovering, before heading home.

I spent most of September in Europe, starting with a week in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  Aside from work, there was a trip to Castle Ward in to look at Game of Thrones filming locations, a hockey game featuring the Belfast Giants, a trip to the Ulster American Folk Park and a nip across the border to the wonderful town of Muff in Ireland, and a Black Cab tour of locations in Belfast related to the Troubles. Continue reading →

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FB4: Week 9

Another good week thanks to my adventures in Arizona.  The week started with a trip up to Page, Arizona, where I took in a slot canyon tour and a visit to Horseshoe Bend followed by a brief trip to the Grand Canyon, ending up with nearly 13,000 steps.  Monday started with a walk to Starbucks and then to the airport for my flight home, which earned me another 10,000 step day.  Tuesday sent me back to work, where I finished with just over 7900 steps.  Wednesday was a bit worse, with only 7300 steps.  Thursday was back up again, coming in over 8200 steps.  Friday came close to 7800 steps.  Saturday was the down day of the week, with only 3500 steps.

Total steps: 58,366

Daily average: 8338