Cable Car?

We don't need no stinking Cable Car. Actually, we really didn't want to pay for one. You are allowed to hike up Masada before 10am, however the first bus did not get us there until 10:30. People were still on their way up the path when we bypassed the ticket booth and went to the trail head. Nope, there was a guard. They would not let us hike up the desert mountain because it was "too hot." Well...through a little complaining and stating that we don't have money for the cable car, the manager quickly decided to give us free passes for the cable car. Score. We would have still rather hiked it, but if we can't, we'll take it.

We spent a good 2.5 hours on top of Masada, walking to the different breathtaking view points, the echo point where we sang "I like fishes cause they are so delicious," and meandered through the fortress.We hiked down the path to the bottom where a plethora of snack/drink stands awaited our business. We passed by the 20 shekel drinks to a booth with a bored teenage boy, who decided that he would give us free iced coffees. Fabulous.

Caught a bus to the Ein Gedi Spa at the Dead Sea near by. This was going to be our reward for a semester of hard work. The staff must have thought we were a part of one of the many tour groups, because they let us walk right through without paying. Perfect. I mean really, all we did was use their spot on the beach. Salty float, natural mud, and sulfur pool plunge later, and we were on our way back to Jerusalem.
While we were waiting for the bus, a sherut (a 15 seat shared taxi) pulled up and we were able to barter with the driver down to 25 shekels each - cheaper than the bus! What an amazing, lucky, day. All we had to pay for was transportation.

The Zoo

I forgot to mention my trip to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo a couple of weeks ago. It is by far the best zoo I have ever been to. The scenery was gorgeous, the animals happy, active, playful, and came right up to us.My favorite part was the big open safari area where the giraffes, zebras, ostriches, and rhinoceroses roamed together next to a lake overlooking the mountains in the distance. As my friend remarked "If the big giraffes can live with the little zebras happily, why can't we all live in harmony?

Mud Rejuvenation

About two or so weeks ago we had a day off of school. Needing a little pick-me-up, two of us decided to make a day trip to the Dead Sea.

Not exactly sure how to get there or where along the Dead Sea we were going, we hopped on a bus going in that general direction. After several conversations with the bus driver we departed at the free beach. Sunscreen in hand we ventured off into the intense "insta-tan" sun.

Having been there before my friend remembered Sulfur Pools being on the beach to use. We looked for them and eventually ended up at the tourist information center. Here we were told that the Sulfur Pools are only at the Ein Gedi Spa. Well, so much for that. We followed the exit sign of the little complex to find ourselves in the "Solarium," an enclosed area on the beach with naked purple leather people. Oops.

Back out on the real beach we waded into the water. The oily salty water insisted on lifting us up. Floating was effortless. We just lay there relaxing, naturally exfoliating our skin. Until...dun dun dun. My friend got water in her eye!!!! And by water I mean salt. To the rescue, I lead her blinded self up to safety and poured fresh water in her eyes.

With regained eyesight it was time to find some Dead Sea Mud to continue our natural skin treatment (and get the full Dead Sea experience). It was a little suspicious that no one else on the beach was covered in mud, but we were determined that there had to be some. All we saw was mounds and mounds of huge salt crystals. We finally resorted to asking the lifeguards where the mud was. "People like you came 20 years ago and took it all!" Um...right. So turns out the Ein Gedi Spa is the only place that it is naturally in the water. I see a pattern here. "But you can buy it at the market." Yes. We bought packaged Dead Sea mud at the Dead Sea. In our defense it was only 7.5 shekels each.

Lathered up in mud we were like aliens on the beach. People stared at us, 13-year-old boys wanted to take their pictures with us, but it was fun...and crusty. After washing the mud off it was time to hop on the bus back. This time with glowing skin and smiles.

Under the Desert Sun

February 15-16, 2008
Large group trips really aren’t my thing, especially when the crowd resembles that of freshmen during New Student Orientation (NSO). That said, I can’t complain too much for another free trip, this time for a whole weekend to Mitzpe Ramon.

The original itinerary of a 4 hour hike was adjusted due to risk of floods in the desert. I for one was extremely disappointed, but I can’t say the same for most of the girls on the trip. Instead we rode the buses from site to site, got out, wandered around, listened to the tour guide say a few words, and got back into the bus. Enjoyable enough, just not what I had anticipated.

We checked into our hostel (which by the way I was very impressed with for a hostel - Each bunk room had its own bathroom and shower). While most people went to Shabbat services a small group of us decided to explore. The town of Mitzpe Ramon is located right on the edge of the cliff of the crater. It is absolutely breathtaking. We climbed up a hill with a camel shaped viewing area on top and watched the sunset over the desert.

Saturday was much more enjoyable. We woke up bright and early to head off into the desert for archery. Not the typical archery, but a sport closely resembling Frisbee golf. It is actually quite ingenious. As the owner told us, he wanted to replace golf with this form of archery. It takes the same skill, concentration, and focus, but you can play on the natural terrain. Golf wastes so many resources solely trying to maintain the grass. Good luck actually making that happen. It was a great experience and we all had a blast briefly learning technique and then just trying over and over with different distanced targets hiking across the desert.

A bathroom break led us to discover that this archery place was a hidden gem. Inside the fence was an open air shelter with a kitchen, and an abundance of mattresses and blankets. Inside were students just sitting, smoking hookah, drinking tea, and playing the guitar. It costs 80 shekels to spend a night on the floor, which is a little expensive seeing how the hostel was 90, but the atmosphere was amazing. We sat and chatted for awhile before returning to our group to carve sandstone.

After lunch 2 of us decided to diverge from the group “hike” and go for a real hike of our own. The view from the top of the crater was amazing, but we wanted to find a way to get down into it. After a little exploration we found a trail leading down the cliff. Hands down this was the highlight of my weekend. Nothing compares to the desert. It is the most relaxing, serene experience. It was the sound of utter silence. A picture looks as if you cut out our heads and pasted it on a background. You feel insignificant as the cliff walls surround you and you are in the middle of a vast open crater. The joy and awe I felt at that moment is inexplicable.

Shoes made out of snow?

Well, not quite. But snowshoeing is a pretty good substitute.

I went with a friend and her mom. They rented snowshoes from Joe's (the store formerly known as GI Joe's) for just $11 per day per snowshoe set. I had no idea you could rent outdoor sporting equipment from Joe's, but it sure is a handy option if you enjoy outdoor sports but not to the point of investing in your own equipment. Poles were included with the rental, but we chose to forgo them. We set out driving East on Highway 22 toward Santiam Pass in the quest for snow. A stop at the Ranger Station pointed us toward McCoy CreekPark, a snow park popular for snowmobiles. After a stop in Detroit for a snow park pass we were ready to go.

We were the only ones in the park (one of the perks of being on winter break after everyone else is back at school and work). The trek was an unanticipated continuous uphill, but I got used to it after the first 15 minutes. The entire trail is supposedly 8 miles, but we just hiked for 2 hours. It was beautiful weather: blue skies and sun in the snowy forest. It was chilly, but it only took a little while for us to start stripping off layers. Once we got high enough up the mountain we had a spectacular view.

Snowshoeing is a great alternative form of exercising. It is enjoyable, yet I can still feel the soreness starting to set it...

The Land of Happy Cows

I did in fact see cows during my trip to California this Winter break, though I could not judge their happiness due to a certain lack of recognizable facial expressions. What I can say with certainty is that NorCal is a great place to visit. A quick inexpensive Southwest Ding flight from Portland, OR to Oakland had me on my way. A special someone met me at the airport and we were stationed at his family's home in Clayton for the duration of my week. It is a cute modern version of the old western mining town it once was.

The day after my arrival we took BART into San Francisco. Here I retrieved my Israel Student Visa, met up with another friend, and then continued to wander around the city on foot. We made it to City Hall, the Financial District, Chinatown, and Fishermen's Wharf. Walking all day called for a few pit stops: lunch at a mall food court serving "gourmet" food on real dishes, coffee at Peet's Coffee & Tea, and for dinner hot fudge sundaes at Ghirardelli Square (of course). It was a wonderful day ended with a relaxing evening walking on the beach seeing the city lights reflected on the damp ground.

The next and longest stop was Truckee, a small mountain town filled with vacation homes and snowy forests. It provided serenity and an escape. Truckee's proximity to both Tahoe and Reno (both about a 35-45 minute drive away) provided for fun day trips. I had never before been to a casino, so quality all-you-can-eat sushi at Atlantis followed by a free trapeze show at Circus Circus made for an adventure. Not to mention the classic activity of bowling created a memorable Reno experience. On the way to Tahoe we stopped by Squaw Valley to walk around. This gave me a taste of the ski resort atmosphere without actually having to hit the slopes. Lake Tahoe itself was expansive and calm. A walk along the water's edge lead to a pathetic snow-angel making attempt (the snow was icy) and an impromptu snow fight.

Back in Clayton for the last day of my trip we hiked up Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve trail, where we hung out with grazing cows and admired a view down across the country (with wind turbines in the distance). The day was topped off with his little brother's basketball game (1st place in their league!) and a family game of Cranium.

If that wasn't an amazing vacation, I don't know what is. Although I am not going to lie: the company sure helped.

Green is my favorite color

With the start of a new school year, working as a Move-In Coordinator, and living in a dorm, I have had my share of interaction with freshmen. When asked what a freshman that she met was like, my friend responded simply with "he's so....green." I look at them - bright smiles of excitement and exploration, curiosity and bewilderment - and I wonder when I became so jaded. I am jealous of their naivety and their fresh start. It's sad really. I feel old saying "if I knew then what I know now..." but it is true. I have recently been talking to new people outside my "circle of friends" and I've realized that I can get along with a whole range of people. The friends we make freshmen year seem to be by chance. I see freshmen cling to each other just so that they are not alone. Little do they know that they will all make very good friends anyway. I guess my advice for future freshman is not to freak out about making new friends, meet as many people as possible, and see who you click with most. Good friends take time.

On another green note - a friend and I attended the Philly Green Fest this past Sunday on South Street. I was glad to see how many people were out checking out the various information booths on living green. I felt somewhat helpless living in a dorm and not having control over the environmental sustainability of my living situation. However, I took some comfort in the fact that I use Philly Car Share, they even have a large number of hybrid vehicles in their fleet. I highly recommend these car share deals. Flexcar is another option, and is operational nationwide. Solar Panels are also in my future. My super tall friend had fun dropping an egg on a spread of recycled tires used for playgrounds instead of bark dust. And we correctly answered three questions about littering/recycling to win a prize! A litterbug was walking around the festival for photo opportunities. One thing that disturbed me was a man making a food sculpture. It looked awesome, but it was such a waste of quality vegetables - potatoes, squash, carrots, eggplants. I couldn't help but think of the numerous homeless people I pass each day that would benefit from that food. It did not belong at the green fest.

At the Green Fest I also picked up a flyer for the Divine Bike Church. Awesome idea. Open Tues, Thurs, and Sundays from 6:30-9pm and Wednesday for women and transvestites only. They are located in the basement of St. Mary's Church right on Penn's campus. They mostly provide the tools to fix up your bikes, but they also sell used bikes and parts. I picked myself up a beautiful old bike with a basket named Sunshine (it is scratched on the frame) and they walked me through changing the brake cable, setting the gears, and changing a tire. A functioning bike - all from recycled parts - and all for $36.

Green is a beautiful thing.

Picture Perfect

"Isn't this just great" my dad kept repeating. He was right. Somehow the family (the four of us) was all together again for the first time in a year. We were sitting outdoors of a restaurant right on the beach in Pacific City, OR. The Ocean looked like a lake, next to still. Haystack rock was standing alone in the water, watching over the inlet. The dunes that we had climbed prior to dinner were gleaming off to the side, framing the ocean view. We felt as if we were looking at a piece of art. Toast and enjoy the moment.

I'm seeing stars

Quite a contrast to the light pollution of the city. I spent the past weekend camping by the North Santiam river with 4 friends. It was beautiful, peaceful, and fun-filled. We did the traditional cooking over the campfire with chicken and vegetable kabobs, followed later by banana boats and s'mores. Played cards and chatted by the fire until bed. The girls woke up early Saturday morning for a run, and we all continued to fill the day with a water fight, volleyball, kayaking, and a little hike while the boys went fishing. After dinner we all laid out on an open field looking at the stars. It was very striking. We could see the milky way and a million stars so that constellations no longer stood out. Apparently there were a few shooting stars too - but my gaze was never lucky enough to catch one. Although, I'm not quite sure what I would wish for at this point had I seen one. I am pretty darn happy. I am at home in nature. Even so I am jokingly called Sacajawea by my friends because of the way I kayak. While sitting around the campfire our last night - a friend looked over at me and commented that I looked very happy. All I was doing was staring off into space.

All you need to do is come to Oregon and see how beautiful it is, and you will understand why I am so passionate about the environment. Hug a tree.