California, No Doubt About It (6/2 - 6/8)

Getting to know National Park Service staff and fellow interns was amazing! And California wasn't so bad either...

The class of 2012 National Park Service Business Plan Interns in Malibu.
Have you ever seen a better jumping photo?  I seriously doubt it.

Who are the beautiful jumping people above?  They are my fellow park service interns.  These 15 brave souls, including me, are from masters programs in business, public policy/administration, and environmental policy.  We are the 14th class of interns in the National Park Service Business Plan Internship, from all over the country, and spending the summer scattered across seven units of the National Park system: Congaree National Park (South Carolina), Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio), Gateway National Recreation Area (New York), Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona, my new home!), National Mall and Memorial Parks (Washington, D.C.), Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park (Texas) and Yellowstone National Park (Idaho, Montana and Wyoming).  

Fellow interns and park service staff on top of the highest
peak in the Santa Monica mountains.

Before jumping in to our consulting duties at our parks, we spent a great week at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area learning about the park service, getting to know each other and generally having a great time.  The week started with a hike, which was an excellent way to get to know each other.  I'm pretty allergic to the cocktail hour schmooziness of business school, so this was a welcome change.  In addition to getting to know each other, we also learned a lot about the history of the park and wildlife in Santa Monica from Ranger Ken.  Who knew there was such a great place to hike just outside of Los Angeles?

Most of our days were spent in conference-style training, but it was by far the best view I have ever had while at work!

View from the Malibu community beach house where
we had training all week.  

In addition to our terribly rough training days at the beach house, we also took breaks to explore more of the National Recreation Area, which includes a diverse collection of mountain trails, beautiful beaches and even a mock old-west town where Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman was filmed.  Pretty cool!

Can't you see Dr. Quinn walking down this street?

Some of my fellow interns were more excited to role
play being stuck in the mock old- west jail than others....

Getting the history of this park of the Santa Monica Mountains
National Recreation Area form our fun Ranger guide!

Did I mention that my fellow interns Laurel, Jay and I
went through a lightning speed ranger training program?
(L to R: Laurel, Jay, and me)

Finally, a trip to the coast of California would not have been complete without a little time at the Santa Monica pier, swimming in the Pacific ocean (sorry, no photos of my cold self battling the seaweed), and watching new friends play volleyball Top Gun style.

Here are some photos from the Santa Monica pier:

The Santa Monica pier is the end of old Route 66.  I didn't
drive it all, but did cover a significant portion
between Albuquerque and Flagstaff.

They had the Zoltar machine from
the movie Big.  Too cool!  I got my fortune,
but it was so nondescript that I don't even
remember what it said...

Last but not least, check out these hot beach bods.  Also be sure to notice the cute ranger doll in the photos.  She is our group's mascot and will travel to all the parks this summer for adventures seeing the Grand Canyon, riding on a buffalo in Yellowstone, brim fishing in Ohio, etc.  

A local lifeguard who was very happy
to cheese it up with Ranger Rita, no
questions asked.

Playin'  with the boys.

Ranger Rita had to get in on the action too, even if she is too
small to play volleyball.  

Laurel and I enjoying the beach.  

Life in Flag (6/20)

As I write this in a European-style coffee house, listening to live music and waiting for a delicious grilled cheese and bowl of tropical curry soap to accompany my honey lemonade, I can tell you that life in Flag is pretty great.  By the way, Flag is what the locals call Flagstaff.  After less than two weeks here, I already consider myself a Flagstaffian (that term is for real, look it up!).

My summer life with an 8 to 5 job was bound to be pretty awesome relative to my sometimes 14-hour days in business school, but Flagstaff is definitely exceeding my expectations.  Not to brag, but since I arrived on June 8 I have: jogged three times; taken two yoga classes; stretched my legs and mind on two long sunset walks; seen a local funk band; attended one church service; shopped at two local farmers markets; attended a performance of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (play version); and visited Grand Canyon National Park four times (three times for work and a weekend for fun).

I enjoy including photo memories in my posts, but I will leave this one with only words to describe how much I am enjoying my new National Park Service/Wild West lifestyle.  Don't get me wrong, the work is challenging and I am learning a lot at my internship, so don't imagine I'm filling all day every day with yoga and hiking in to the Grand Canyon.  But, there is definitely enough of these kind of wholesome, energetic, good times to put a smile on my face most of each day.  

The End of the BIG TRIP: 2,222 Miles (5/31 - 6/1)

It is taking some time, but I promise that there will be posts of the Grand Canyon soon.  I want to document all the highlights of my adventure west and with all the fun I am having in Flagstaff, it is tough to make time to post.  So here is the quick and dirty on the last few days of my road trip so that I can move on to the fun I had at my internship training in California, getting to know Flagstaff and seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time on June 12.


While I was in San Antonio, I decided my last night on the road would be spent in Albuquerque, New Mexico even though it was a five to six hour drive from Carlsbad Caverns.  I would have liked something shorter, but I was nervous about what my options for accommodations would be like in cities such as Roswell, New Mexico (UFOs anyone?).  Because Carlsbad is not on an interstate, any journey to Albuquerque had to include some highway adventure.  To make the most of it I decided to swing through the town of Lincoln to see the court house where Billy the Kid was shot.  According to my guidebook, Lincoln is as authentic an old west town as you can find.  By the time I got there, most of the shops and historic buildings were closed, but it was a fun stop, stretch my legs and imagine what the old, wild west was like.

Sign at the  Courthouse
where Billy the Kid was shot.

Another old store in
Lincoln, New Mexico.

An old store in Lincoln
that is now an art gallery.

After swinging through Lincoln, I also had to make a quick stop in Capitan, New Mexico, to take a photo at the burial place, museum and memorial dedicated to your friend and mine, Smokey Bear.

This one is for you Nelie.  You better be reading this blog!

The trip through New Mexico was something like Texas.  There was a lot of desert, but also some beautiful mountains and long stretches of blue sky and highway.  It was fun to drive fast, within the crazy high speed limit of 75 on highways of course, and catch up on my podcasts.  Here is a video I took, very carefully of course, on the highway between Capitan and Interstate 25, which I took up to spend the night in Albuquerque.  

There is not really much to report from my stay in Albuquerque.  It is a bigger city and was a fine place to spend the night in a nice hotel, but I did not do too much fun.  I tried a local sushi place, which was a mistake.  I didn't get sick, but they do not do sushi well in Albuquerque in case you are planning a visit there.  I suggest something safer like Mexican. 

On June 1st my 2,222 mile journey to Flagstaff, Arizona ended.  I was very happy to see the Welcome to Arizona sign and learn that I get to be part of celebrating the state's centennial (gained statehood in 1912).  It was tough to drive past the Petrified Forest National Park along the way and not stop, but I am planning a day trip there soon, so I will get that stamp on my National Park Service passport.  My first night in Flagstaff was also spent at a hotel, as my apartment was not ready yet.  I got to know a little of the city by going out to dinner with one of my fellow interns, but spent most of the night catching up on sleep and getting ready for my trip to Santa Monica the next day.  

Welcome to New Mexico!

Map of my adventure west.  I took a slightly different route than pictured here,
because I crossed southern New Mexico west and then up to Albuquerque.

Last but not least, here is another video I took on the drive.  The tornado-like thing you see a dust devil,  which seem to be pretty common in this area.  It's hard to get the full affect of it watching the video, because  I could not capture it all due to the fact that I had to steer the car as the dust devil ran in to me on the road!

To the Bat Cave! Carlsbad Caverns National Park (5/31/12)

Trinity Hotel in Carlsbad, NM.

After a restful night at a cute boutique hotel, which is a restored Billy the Kid era bank building, I headed to visit my first National Park on summer out west.  I got up bright and early to be there for the opening of the cavern and to make my 10 am ranger tour.  The park visitors’ center is about 27 miles outside of town and the drive was pretty ordinary except for the great tourist signs beckoning people to the caverns, nearby restaurants and gift shops.  (Have I mentioned the signs for half-price meteorites on billboards in southern New Mexico?)  

Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
If you think this is cool,
just want to see the inside!

The drive from the park entrance to the visitors’ center and cavern entrance is seven miles of rolling desert hills and windy road.  The colors were the same as desolate New Mexico from the day before, but with the rolling hills the scenery got better and better as I neared the caverns. 

It was a windy day in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
Welcome to Carlsbad Caverns!

Cavern entrance - from desert into darkness, stalactites,
and stalagmites!

There are two ways to get into the main park of the caverns to see the main attractions the “Big Room” and the “King’s Palace”: 1) a one-minute elevator ride or 2) a 1.25-mile, one-hour hike.  Like the adventurer I am, I chose the hike down.  It was pretty adventurous despite being on a paved walkway with railings.  Apparently, getting off the path has been deadly for some visitors according to a helpful park safety sign.  I chatted with one other visitor on the way down, but mostly enjoyed the silence and aloneness afforded me by visiting the park early on a Thursday morning at the very beginning of summer vacations.  During the hike, my world gradually changed from the desert above, to the cool, limestone-smelling, constantly 56-degree world of the cavern.  

King’s Palace.  If you look closely, you can see stalagmites
(from the floor up) in the center that look something
like royals gathered around on thrones (or chess pieces).
This small section of stalagmites is how the area got the
name King’s Palace. 

Not only do I enjoy a little adventure, but I am also a nerd for guided-tours.  So naturally, I took a ranger-led tour of the King’s Palace.  It was not only a great opportunity to learn the history of the park and how the caverns were discovered and explored, but also to see a park of the park off-limits without a ranger guide.  The King’s Palace is the most famous park of the caverns due to an early photograph taken there by National Geographic, which encouraged mass visitation of this national park.  As a consequence of its popularity, this part of the cavern was damaged and can now only be visited with supervision.  As a now employee of the park service, it was interesting to see the balance of conserving the natural resources of the cavern and providing enjoyment for current visitors (see National Park Service History – Organic Act).   

I really enjoyed my visit to Carlsbad Caverns and definitely recommend it for anyone who can make it to southern New Mexico.  Here are some more photos to enjoy!

Welcome to New Mexico! (5/30/12)

Beautiful Texas - before the desolate desert.  

After leaving San Antonio, I still had hundreds of miles of Texas to cover before reaching New Mexico.  Western Texas was a tougher drive than eastern with its super long stretches of interstate between gas stations and even rest areas - at least two 50-mile stretches without gas stations and one 100+ mile stretch without rest areas.  Although it was a tough drive, I was prepared.  I carried a five-gallon gas can with me just in case, but thankfully never had to use it.  I always filled up with 70 or so miles left on the tank, which was a big change from my usual 7 miles left fill-ups in Atlanta.  I was also prepared for the worst with two gallon jugs of water and lots of snacks, which were the only “emergency” item used.    

Welcome to New Mexico!

Desolate Texas.

Most of the drive was on interstate, but to get to Carlsbad, New Mexico, I had to drive more than 100 miles on the highway.  You might think this would slow me down considering the speed limit on I-10 in Texas ranges from 70 to 85 mph, but this was not the case.  The highway speed limit was 75 mph!  I’ve never seen anything like the straight, lonely roads I traveled to get to Carlsbad.  It was totally worth it to see the Caverns (next post), but I will always remember the drive between El Paso, Texas, and Carlsbad, New Mexico, as a rather desolate one.   I should also mention that it was stinking hot the desert. 

Hot New Mexico.  Yes, that thermometer is
registering 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

P.S. I am a little behind on my posts, but working to update them.  I should have my adventures from Carlsbad Caverns and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area up soon.  

Fun in Alamo Town

Erika and Matthew taking
a break from the heat
 in the visitor center at the
Botanical Gardens.

I have been blessed to get to see so many people I love during my journey west.  I spent Monday night through Wednesday morning in San Antonio with my college friend Erika, her husband Daniel and their almost 4-month-old little one Matthew Gilroy.  Matthew, Erika and I had a lazy morning on Tuesday, which was great after my long drive the day before.  Perhaps shamefully, we spent a few hours watching the reality show Sister Wives (sorry to out you Erika!).  It's a crazy show about a polygamist Mormon family with one husband, four wives and something like 17 children. Sometimes its just fun to zone out and imagine what life might be like sharing a husband...  I promise we actually got out of the house too!

With Erika at the Botanical Gardens.

We spent the afternoon at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens.  It was very beautiful, but also very hot.  Summer has definitely arrived in San Antonio!  Erika and I enjoyed visiting the greenhouses and walking in the wild flower and rose gardens, while Matthew had a nice nap in his stroller.  For dinner, we went to the local Chick-fil-a.  There is one in Flagstaff, but I think its in the university cafeteria, so we decided this might have been my last official Chick-fil-a of the summer.  It was delicious!

Matthew Gilroy in his
new Samford hat from
Aunts Bliz and Amanda.

I had a great time catching up with Erika and meeting the new addition to her family.  Matthew is a very sweet, although sometimes vocal, little boy.  I especially enjoyed observing the dynamic between Matthew and their dog Jack Bauer.  Jack looks like an auburn-colored golden retriever with  the body shape of a greyhound. He is a very sweet dog who is very interested in taking care of Matthew.  In my observation, Matthew is tough kid who handles big dog licks to the face with a great deal of poise.  (Of course his mom and dad don't want Jack Bauer to lick him like a puppy, but its hard to get ahead of him sometimes...)