Jayne Says

I Fought Utah and Utah Won

I am so sad that the Utah Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the state's anti-polygamy law today. Because I totally want to move to Utah and marry Neena and Don (and their hilarious Utah friends Ruthie and Eric). It is taking too long to upload the pictures into this post, so please go check out my new Utah Road Trip photo album! Before you read any further, be warned that some of these pictures might not be safe for work.

The Pilot and I set out on our road trip last Tuesday May 9th. We drove from Northern California through part of Nevada via Route 50 ("The Loneliest Road in America") and spent the night in a little town called Eureka.

Here's T, baring it all, as far as the eye can see on a stretch of the 50:

On Wednesday, we continued east, taking a little detour through the Great Basin National Park (so called because none of the rivers and other surface waters flow to the ocean, who knew?) We saw a snake and an interesting rusted old car with a horse skeleton at the wheel.

We arrived in Cedar City Wednesday evening to meet up with Neena, Don, Eric, Ruthie, their friend Eduardo, Caroline and Edge. We all hit it off right away (tequila is an amazing social lubricant, isn't it?) and all of my anxieties melted away along with my inhibitions. I recall a lot of laughter, drinking and dancing, but the rest is a bit fuzzy. What happens in Utah stays in Utah, my friends.

Thursday morning, we finished packing up and began the convoy for 2.5 hours into the desert, to the secret camping spot. But not to worry, this wasn't one of the ones that was closed today due to THE PLAGUE.

We dallied a bit in Escalante, where we had some pizza and cold beers at the Esca-Latte Internet Cafe for lunch before heading on.

The camping spot was gorgeous. Hot, insanely dry, high altitude (about 6,400 feet and T and I live at about 1,000) but stunning nonetheless. My skin was cracking and I was sucking wind just walking around but the group gave me enough booze to quell my whining. More laughter, eating and drinking, out by the campfire. Heaven.

Friday, we went on a hike to a water hole not too far away. After watching Ruthie make the leap, I gathered my courage and made the big jump down into the freezing water, which had so recently been snow. It was invigorating! T couldn't be outdone by the ladies, so he showed us all up with his perfect swan dive.

Friday night as a repeat of Thursday night, except there was a full moon out. There may or may not have been howling. Drinking, eating, laughing, lots of dick jokes and movie references, much hilarity, singing, blah blah blah.

Saturday, we were all looking a bit worse for the wear. The references and jokes were not so quick, and we were dragging a bit. And I was really looking forward to a shower. I had gone through about two thirds of a large bottle of lotion I bought in Cedar City. That morning, we went for another hike, into the canyon by our campsite. Did I mention it was hot and dry there? Nonetheless, we were sad to pack up camp.

Saturday evening we arrived at the Hell's Backbone Grill and Boulder Mountain Lodge, for showers, a hot tub and a delicious (albeit quite expensive) meal. That place was amazing. T and I hit the hay early, exhausted.

Sunday, we ate another gourmet meal at the lodge and said a sad farewell to Ed, Caroline and Edge. Neena, Don, Ruth, Eric, T and I took the scenic way across a rugged patch of land called "Hell's Backbone." T stripped down again, for another good photo op. Neena has posted a close up, but see if you can find him in my pictures in the sidebar. Where's Waldo?

We all had a final meal together again in Escalante, for more pizza and beer, before heading our separate ways. I was very sad to say goodbye to my new friends, but I have a funny feeling I will be seeing them again.

T and I made it to Austin, Nevada (a cute little town with bike trails, and a good half-way point between Utah and CA, hint hint . . .) for the night, but not before taking some more nekkid pictures on the 50. I have a funny sunburn and I hate that T has a better ass than I do. Bastard.

Yesderday (Monday) T and I drove all the way home, about 6 final hours, with only one small detour at a sand dune. We arrived home yesterday evening, tired, sunburned, achy, broke . . . but happy.

The Anglo File

Say what you will about where we learned our imperialistic ways, about the national obsession with tea, about keeping a stiff upper lip, the monarchy, the terrible music they play at terribly smoky pubs, how the Pound mercilessly pounds our meek Dollar, the cutesy vocab (lunchy?) . . . I love England.

Before anyone gets too bitterly jealous of my ability to traipse halfway across the globe, I should mention this was a transport mission, primarily to deliver a dear elderly person (B) to live with relatives in East Africa. But that doesn't mean we did not manage to fit a bit of fun in.

Day One (and a half): The Pilot (aka my husband, T) our companion B and I took the 10 hour direct flight (British Airways) from San Francisco to London. T and I were crammed in the middle of the middle row. We watched a few movies, could not sleep, and arrived in London late morning.

We took the Heathrow Express train from the airport to Paddington Station, which was just a block from our B&B. This 15 minute train ride cost about $30 each. The B&B was unremarkable. Although conveniently located, affordable (for London, which is not saying much) and serving good hearty English breakfasts, the room was small and the bathroom was cramped, and the bathroom door would not fully shut. Which was just lovely when sharing a small room with two other people. Intimate.

We all crashed out for a few hours before T and I rallied to take the train to Cambridge (an hour train ride, another $30 each). Given that some more direct underground lines were closed, we were late meeting up with our dear friends W & N, and also blogger Hillary and her husband D for sushi.

Cambridge is a beautiful, vibrant, cobblestone city, with modern shops and restaurants adjacent to ancient (well, old, anyway) churches and structures. We want to return and spend several days (instead of hours) there. I recognized Hillary right away. She was incredibly lovely, warm, witty and sparkly. T and I were dazed and disheveled, but excited to be there.

After dinner, W & N had to get home, but Hillary, D, T and I went to a great old pub called The Eagle for a quick pint. The place was packed (and smoky, natch) and we marveled over the wartime graffiti and memorabilia; this was (and still is) a big Royal Airforce hangout. Hillary drove us to the tube station, and that was quite an experience, whizzing along on the wrong side of the road, but she's got the hang of it. Alas, no pictures from that night!

Day Two: B, T and I went for a nice walk to and around Hyde Park. Then T and I met up with our friends W & N for a stroll around downtown London. Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, The London Eye. (more pictures in the album on the sidebar).

We ducked into a pub for lunch and a few pints, and made our way back to the B & B where B joined us for a wonderful Indian buffet (The Ganges Tandoori on Praed Street in Paddington).

Day Three: B, T and I had a full day small bus tour to Lacock, Bath and Stonehenge (the History and Mystery tour). We went with a tour company called Astral Travels, which I highly recommend. The prices were a bit higher than other tour companies (about $100 or 57 Pounds per person) but the van (or "coach") was small (no more than 16 people) and comfortable, and the tour guide was top notch.

Lacock is a quaint medieval town, with thatched and stone buildings, overlooked by the Industrial Revolution. We did not spend more than a half hour there, and squandered our time drinking tea and eating pastries at the lovely Lacock Bakery. It was cold out! Apparently, parts of Pride & Prejudice (BBC version, please) and the Harry Potter movies were filmed there (we saw Harry's childhood home, where his parents were killed by, you know.)

Next stop was the amazing City of Bath! Along with Cambridge, this is a place we really want to visit again. We were not prepared for the gorgeous setting, architecture, fascinating history, and modern bustling life there. In a nutshell, Bath boasts the only natural hot springs in England. The area has been used for 10,000 years, first by the neolithic hunter-gatherers, then by the Celts, who arrived in England around 700 BC and built a temple to the Celtic water goddess Sulis.

Then the Romans came in around 43 AD and really built up the place! They identified traits in Sulis in the Roman goddess Minerva and built a Great Bath house and temple called Aquae Sulis. But the Romans had to get back to defend their empire from . . . uh . . . invaders, and retreated from England in the early 5th century, and the Sulis-Minerva temple and bathhouse were abandoned and fell into decline.

Christian structures were built upon the settling Roman ruins, history, history, blah blah blah . . . and the place became fashionable for "taking the cure" among the aristocracy of the 1600s and 1700s. Jane Austen lived here, natch.

In the mid 1800s, a woman complained of a pipe leaking hot water in her basement. They dug and unearthed the forgotten Roman ruins!

Today, there is a Georgian pump house above the ruins, and a stunning Gothic abbey next door. But the ruins (which settled about 15 feet below current street level) are still being excavated. We had a drink of the curative waters, and marveled that we could touch lead pipe laid by the Romans thousands of years ago.

Again, we wished we could have spent more time wandering around this city. About 85,000 people inhabit it, and it is situated [updated] on a hill overlooking a lush valley, with an ideal mix of modern and historic elements.

Next up was Stonehenge. That anonymous authority, "they," think it began to be erected around 5,000 years ago. Nobody really knows exactly when, or why, or by whom, or how. But there are big stones in a field. Pretty cool. My attention span was clearly shot by the end of the day. I'm glad we went. I think I expected to experience "mystical" feelings. I did not.

It was cold, windy, crowded with French teenagers by the busload [thank god for the zoom lens on my amazing new camera--6 mega-pixel Sony Cybershot, birthday present from T] and I felt nothing but the satisfaction of checking that box off my list of places to see in my lifetime.

Day 4: B, T and I went for a 2 hour double-decker bus tour around London. We sat up top, which was freezing, but worth the sites. What a beautiful, huge, (7 million people!) historically rich city. Simply amazing. I had been there in the mid-'80s but at the time was more interested in where I could find bootlegged Sex Pistols cassettes and a cool leather jacket.

Then, it was off to the airport, T heading back to San Francisco, B and I heading off to East Africa, which will be my next post . . .

Update: Highlights: Seeing our friends W & N and getting to spend a relaxing day with them to catch up, meeting blogger Hillary, Cambridge, Bath.

Disappointments: Not seeing Hillary again, not meeting up with a high school friend, (a world-class economist who lives in London but our schedules did not work out - T and I had a good laugh that we know more people in England than our new small town in California) the B & B.

[More UK pictures in my sidebar album.]

Floating Away

There are many reasons, personal, professional and practical, I blog anonymously. These reasons usually outweigh the occasional longings to share more, reach out. Today it pains me somewhat to be cryptic. I want to tell the story. The story is mine. But it is not only mine; I do not own it all so I may not tell it all.

Several circumstances, some amazing, some tragic, have recently converged and drawn me in with the centrifugal force only family can create. I have booked my itinerary. England early April. Africa mid April.

Once you have been to Africa, it stays in your blood and leaves you forever changed and expanded. Something about the sky. Or the history. Or bearing witness to the Cradle of Civilization. Or the last wild animal migrations.

To return like this, hastily, mostly as a travel companion--no Grand Agenda--leaves me feeling a bit untethered. I have been in a hot air balloon over Africa. I know what it is to be untethered. It has just been some time.

And I need to get a Yellow Fever shot.

The reincarnationist post -- turning into a small book so thank you for that. How many lifetimes have I lived in Africa? How many times will that continent draw me back this lifetime?

Because You Asked

I have posted some pictures of our Mexico trip over on the right. Click on the Mexico-looking picture, then once in the album you can start from the top and enlarge to see my comments, then click on next picture. (But I'm not a control freak or anything.)

One trait I realized about myself is that I don't much enjoy reliving the past. Even the most recent, fun past. I'm already on to the next adventure, the next promise, potential, possibility.

But I think this is good for me, to slow down and relate my experiences somewhat.

We arrived in Puerto Vallarta (Pacific side of Mexico, in between Mazatlan and Acapulco, in the State of Jalisco) on Wednesday and stayed at the Sheraton Buganvilias, which was a lovely resort. The decor was sort of modern tropical, which I love. The food, service and amenities were wonderful. We spent two days exploring downtown and hanging out by the pool. The beach there is a little rocky, and the city is a bit crowded. There are plenty of restaurants and shops and the locals are quite hospitable.

However, we could not walk down the street without people trying to drag us into their shops or sell us timeshares. I liked the weather, lush gardens, food, art and sculpture of PV, but could have done without the pollution, crowds, noise and intrusions.

On Friday, we took a boat over to a small fishing village, Yelapa, nestled in a deep cove about 45 minutes away from PV.

Yelapa was quaint. There were no roads leading there, and the absence of honking horns and exhaust fumes was a welcome relief. We stayed at a rustic resort called Hotel Lagunita. The grounds were lovely. I did not mind sleeping under a mosquito net (the bungalows are pretty open to the elements) and having spider webs in the corners of the showers and rooms. Here is Princess enjoying the naturalistic pool overlooking the ocean:

The food was pretty good, but after several days with the same menu, we began to wish there were some more dining options. Luckily, a blessed pie lady made the rounds to help satisfy our culinary cravings.

There were dogs everywhere, which contributed to the casual atmosphere. We hiked up to the town and did some exploring, and enjoyed the colorfully painted buildings.

On Saturday, we went on a trek through the town, up a river, into the jungle on burros, to go see a [sadly disappointing] waterfall. But the adventure was worth the chafing and discomfort. More pictures in the album over there.

Like much of the developing world, Yelapa is a bit funky, dilapidated, jury-rigged. However, there is a collective sense of peace and relaxation, and the locals maintain both their gardens and their buildings adorned in festive colors.

By Sunday, we were all pretty run down with colds, so we were content to just hang out and read. We returned to PV (seeing shark fins in the water on the way back!) Monday and hung out by the Sheraton pool for a few hours before catching our flight.

All in all, we had a nice time. I love Mexico--the food, language, culture, people, history, music, everything. Living in California, the country is pretty accessible, with direct flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco several times per day.

However, I am not sure I will be returning to PV any time soon. When we go on vacation, we like to escape the crowds, the smog and the modern fast pace. Everyone was on their cell phones, even there! But Yelapa was charming, and I would recommend at least a day trip over that way if you are ever in the neighborhood.

Next time, I think we will research some more, look at lesser-known towns such as Yelapa, avoid Acapulco, PV, Mazatlan, Cabo. Any ideas? Baja California? Ixtapa? There's always the next fun thing, the new promise, potential, possibilities . . .