Camping and Yellowstone

We went to Yellowstone last weekend. The camera battery died so I don't have any pictures to post of the event. The kids had a great time, seeing Buffalo, Elk, and sleeping in the same bed as dad. Of course the they insist on sleeping perpendicular to dad.

When I was a boy scout people used to tell me about all the wonderful things scouting would teach me. These "wonderful" lessons must have been taught when I was sick or something because the only really useful I learned from boy scouts is that I don't care for camping. I don't understand the appeal of going out to into the woods and pretending you are homeless. Really, once you have seen one damn tree, river, rock or lake you have seen them all. So if camping is going out to the woods and pretending your are homeless than motor home camping is like going out to the woods and pretending you live in a trailer park. The major difference being instead of beer people drank wine and instead of walking around in tank tops they wore polo shirts. I tried (and failed) to successful work "Oh snap" into my vocabular.

Don't get me wrong I am grateful for motor home. If I have to choose I am all about the trailer park, the wife's parents are generous to take us along. My favorite part of Yellowstone is the architecture, the bubbling ponds of goo are nice and all but just not really my thing. Smiley's was the stairs and Red's was any and all animals.

I also experienced my first tire blow out. While we were getting it fixed I had the best enchilada with Smiley. He mostly wanted to drink my water but it was a fun father son taco moment.

Easter Photos

Ok, this is really an easter photo, but isn't it a real nice tractor.

I wonder if Pioneer Children really sang as they walked?

We went to This is the Place a couple of weekends ago. We come from Pioneer stalk that joined the Mormon Church. A few were US citizens that joined the Mormon Church when Smith open shopped, and walked to Utah. 

Personally I think I take after the side of the family that waited until they put in the train to come to Utah. I think Smilie and Red takes after that side as well.

Here we are eating lunch in the dinning car.

Here we are holding some chicks, that we covered in chicken poo. Red liked it Dad did not.
The ponies are of course a big attraction.

It was fun. 

Sometimes I wonder if my Ancestors came to Utah not because of a firm belief in Mormonism, but for the cheap land. I really hope it wasn't for an extra wife or two. 

 

2001: A Space Odyssey

So a couple of days ago I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I guess it is suposed to be a "ground breaking" film. The visual effects were impressive for the era. I am sure there are many interpretations of the film, but here are the lessons I gleaned from the film.

1. Bones can make solid weapons in a pitch.

2. Tapirs are ugly.

3. Space is pretty much a really, really boring place. You have to eat from a tube and everything is always spinning. If you are really lucky a computer will kill you before your have to spend the rest of your life in a creep hotel with bright green furniture. The Hotel does not appear to have either a spa or swimming pool.

Global Warming Spiders

Holy crap, now we have giant spiders to worry about.

http://ecoworldly.com/2009/05/07/giant-spiders-could-be-a-result-of-global-warming/

WTF

Swine Flu

There has been a lot of talk in the media about Swine Flu, which turned out not to be what I imagined it would be. However, the media has failed to properly warn the public about another virus. I have some rare and shocking footage of the effects of the virus in this video.



It scientific name is Pullus-Sanderitist. Pullus is Latin for Chicken. Commonly it is known as "Col Sander" or "KFC" Disease. It has three stages. First the victim has an overwhelming desire to eat fried chicken. Second, the victim starts talking like Fog Horn Leg Horn, and dressing in a white suit with vest and black tie. During the third stage the victim moves to Kentucky only to discover KFC was started in Utah. The victum in the video was deep into stage two. The only known cure is mixture of hamburgers and root beer, which must be applied before stage 3, as Root Beer is not very popular in Kentucky. This is why KFC has teamed up with A&W.

Just an FYI.

Glorieta Pass

Last week I drove 24 hours to sleep in the woods. It was the annual reenactment of Gorieta Pass in New Mexico. I don't really know why I do this sort of thing, but I do. I attended with these three gentleman.They are all fine traveling companions. On the way down we visited some elaborate Plueblo Ruins.
I ended up getting captured by these three guys. Yes they are US troops and their impression was superb. The thing I like best about Glorieta is it is like being in a spaghetti western. They spoke mostly Spanish. I was shooting at them and the guy in middle pops out from behind a tree with a pistol and starts shouting at me in Spanish. Of course I put my hands in the air and said "No shoot-o, I surrender-o, Me prisoner-o." They seemed to appreciate it. If I could speak Spanish I may have deserted.
I sure am a happy guy aren't I.

The strangest part of the tripe was this sign.
I have nothing to say about it, just I just thought it a bit suprising.