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My Ancient Ways weekend
Jun. 26th, 2006 07:14 pmSo Friday I got up and after the usual early morning doings I headed off to cache my way to Harbin. I had heard the weather report - predicted 107F in Calistoga for Friday and I really think that we were all nuts for heading up there anyway! I hit a cache in Benecia so I could get Solano county on my map (the Bay Area forums recently asked the question of which California counties one had cached in). It was right at the north end of the bridge and it was very cool to see the new bridge under construction. Then I headed up Hwy 29 and grabbed some pizza in a shop near a Napa Co. cache. I now have all the "greater Bay Area" counties except Marin. Must plan a caching trip up there!
( my CA caching county map )
I tried for another couple in St. Helena but DNF'd one. I stopped in Calistoga and logged them at the Roastery which was blessedly air conditioned. By now it was about 4pm and I decided that rather than trying for more caches I should get over the hill to Harbin.
I got checked in and said hi to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
liadanlj and family but then I never saw them again all weekend despite having hoped to hang out. Bah. It was just soooooo hot! I sat around and drank V. Sattui madeira with mr_kurt rather than going to the evening ritual. This was a great goodness. Then I discovered that two air mattresses stacked on top of each other are not necessarily a good thing. Not an awful thing but too soft for not being conforming like a waterbed. For future camping with cars *right there* - I'm bringing a shikibuton.
Saturday morning I had breakfast at the Stonefront with Russell, Erika, Kurt & Arthur. Yum. I went to a "practical polyamory" workshop bypurplerabbit and family. It was good but the smokers on the side of the Meadow Building kept drowning out the more measured tones on the deck as we moved around chasing the shade. *sigh* I gave up at about 11:30 and went into the Meadow Building and napped in the AC for about 1/2 an hour. Kurt came by after his volunteer stint in the kids' tent and asked what my plans were. I asked if he was crazy enough to go caching in the heat? Yep. We're both crazy. So we went into Middletown and grabbed three micros and DNF'd one. At that point we agreed our brains were fried and we headed back to Harbin. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon up to my neck in the cold pool alternatively reading Rebel Sutra by S. Lewitt and visiting with friends.
Russell and I went to the Stonefront for dinner and I had a rather amazing eggplant parmesan. It was like a 6 inch square and I thought I'd never be able to eat all that but I did and it was soooo yummy. Layers of tomato, eggplant, greens and cheese made it light but satisfying. I still probably didn't *need* that huge a piece but oh my it was good. I finally found Evan in his booth after dinner and stood around and caught up on his latest trip to India and Thailand and became the dinner or a dozen or so mosquitoes. I really hate mosquitoes and they really, really love me. One of the great things about California is their absence... until one goes to a hot springs resort where there is plenty of standing water to be found. Ouch. I am trying so hard not to scratch! Really.
Somewhen during the afternoon of walking to the pools I had managed to get a blister on the bottom of my foot. Concrete gets really hot at 108F and probably an embedded pebble or something got even hotter. Ouch. I decided I wasn't walking over to the festival side after all. I lay in front of the fan pretending I wasn't still sweating and read my book. It is good to have an engaging novel when the environment is against you. I slept fitfully and it was still in the high 70's come morning. After a dip in the warm pool, Russell and I bugged out early. Thus, we found out for the first time that the Harbin gates don't open until 9a and so we had to carry our luggages down to the parking lot rather than driving the car up to fetch them. Still it was worth it to get away before it got any hotter.
Calistoga was about 10 degrees cooler and we stopped and grabbed a couple of caches, including a very cool one near a wonderful sculpture on the Silverado Trail of a Calistoga water delivery wagon. I love the things caching brings me to see! We got home and went to see A Prarie Home Companion, shopped for Tuesday dinner and then I amde a marindate for the pork, cut up several pounds of strawberries and finally got to bed.
( my CA caching county map )
I tried for another couple in St. Helena but DNF'd one. I stopped in Calistoga and logged them at the Roastery which was blessedly air conditioned. By now it was about 4pm and I decided that rather than trying for more caches I should get over the hill to Harbin.
I got checked in and said hi to
liadanlj and family but then I never saw them again all weekend despite having hoped to hang out. Bah. It was just soooooo hot! I sat around and drank V. Sattui madeira with mr_kurt rather than going to the evening ritual. This was a great goodness. Then I discovered that two air mattresses stacked on top of each other are not necessarily a good thing. Not an awful thing but too soft for not being conforming like a waterbed. For future camping with cars *right there* - I'm bringing a shikibuton. Saturday morning I had breakfast at the Stonefront with Russell, Erika, Kurt & Arthur. Yum. I went to a "practical polyamory" workshop by
purplerabbit and family. It was good but the smokers on the side of the Meadow Building kept drowning out the more measured tones on the deck as we moved around chasing the shade. *sigh* I gave up at about 11:30 and went into the Meadow Building and napped in the AC for about 1/2 an hour. Kurt came by after his volunteer stint in the kids' tent and asked what my plans were. I asked if he was crazy enough to go caching in the heat? Yep. We're both crazy. So we went into Middletown and grabbed three micros and DNF'd one. At that point we agreed our brains were fried and we headed back to Harbin. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon up to my neck in the cold pool alternatively reading Rebel Sutra by S. Lewitt and visiting with friends. Russell and I went to the Stonefront for dinner and I had a rather amazing eggplant parmesan. It was like a 6 inch square and I thought I'd never be able to eat all that but I did and it was soooo yummy. Layers of tomato, eggplant, greens and cheese made it light but satisfying. I still probably didn't *need* that huge a piece but oh my it was good. I finally found Evan in his booth after dinner and stood around and caught up on his latest trip to India and Thailand and became the dinner or a dozen or so mosquitoes. I really hate mosquitoes and they really, really love me. One of the great things about California is their absence... until one goes to a hot springs resort where there is plenty of standing water to be found. Ouch. I am trying so hard not to scratch! Really.
Somewhen during the afternoon of walking to the pools I had managed to get a blister on the bottom of my foot. Concrete gets really hot at 108F and probably an embedded pebble or something got even hotter. Ouch. I decided I wasn't walking over to the festival side after all. I lay in front of the fan pretending I wasn't still sweating and read my book. It is good to have an engaging novel when the environment is against you. I slept fitfully and it was still in the high 70's come morning. After a dip in the warm pool, Russell and I bugged out early. Thus, we found out for the first time that the Harbin gates don't open until 9a and so we had to carry our luggages down to the parking lot rather than driving the car up to fetch them. Still it was worth it to get away before it got any hotter.
Calistoga was about 10 degrees cooler and we stopped and grabbed a couple of caches, including a very cool one near a wonderful sculpture on the Silverado Trail of a Calistoga water delivery wagon. I love the things caching brings me to see! We got home and went to see A Prarie Home Companion, shopped for Tuesday dinner and then I amde a marindate for the pork, cut up several pounds of strawberries and finally got to bed.
