Musings of a Migrant Science Teacher

 
Colorado Part 1 09/01/2010
 
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The Flatirons
Colorado. Is. Beautiful.

I’ve driven through the mountains a few times, flown over them a few more, but I haven’t gotten the chance to stop moving and play in them in a very long time. I asked for peace on this trip, and that’s exactly what I got. I needed those days outside like I need air. I breathed in the sky and the hills and the people like someone come back from drowning. Rather than a blow by blow account of the trip, I’m going to post a few of my favorite stories, the photos that go with them, and let my heart spill onto the page.
 
Barefoot running 08/17/2010
 
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I did an experiment yesterday. I did my one mile "around the block" run barefoot.

It was awesome.

Though I'm not sure I can make a habit of it. My curiosity started with this article: Are expensive shoes a waste of money?
 
 
I am sitting in my hotel at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) 2010 Conference in Boulder Colorado, and in usual form, I'm prepping for a session a mere 12 hours in advance. I'm not a total slacker though, I've been writing papers and posters and blogs about my topic for months.

The title is "U can DIY! Using Social Media to Connect with Audiences." So I'm going to ask, do you feel connected? Have you been connected to by someone or something like NASA? What made you feel connected to? Did you like it?
 
 
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I've been looking forward to this trip since I found out that ASP would be held in Boulder in 2010. I love Colorado. I'm looking forward to meeting my twitter friends, and to spending some quality time on real rock. Mostly though I'm here to search for some peace. My life has been a bit muddy for the last several months, and I'd love to let the mountain air still those waters and give me clear vision.
 
 
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Thump, thump, thump went my feet, pounding on the packed dirt trail. The rythmic sound, masked by the matching pounding of my heart in my ears, and my screaming legs telling me to stop.

Crash, swish, crash went the spider filled branches as they hit my face, leaving silky threads in my hair.  My arms itch, my ankle hurts, and my puppydog is tired.

Why am I doing this again?
 
 
It's finally up!

I've had the honor of writing a guest post for The Clymb's blog, and today it's up! The climbing series has been so much fun to read and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.

Aleya on
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My 4th of July weekend began like any other: frantic house cleaning and food stuffs purchasing in prep for our annual 3rd of July party. What? Everyone is always busy on the 4th. Friends and strangers alike descend on bean dip, flag cake and "adult" watermelon, leaving us with enough cheap beer to last for the rest of the year.

This year I was happily joined by my best climbing buddies Katie, Dan, George and Patrick, and our new friend Phil - who all arrived early and made me feel like this was MY party after all.

After a night of corn hole and ladder ball (if you don't know what these games are, I will gladly explain them. I'll just need one of those cheap beers first,) we said goodbye to Katie and Dan and the rest of us set off for Seneca Rocks in West Virginia. Did I mention it was 93 degrees outside? Mmm, superheated trad climbing...
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I woke up to an email this morning from an inspired friend. He has a way with words, and I thought I'd share what he wrote since I know I've felt exactly this many many times before but have been at a loss to describe it. My most recent "moment" was this past weekend at Seneca Rocks, West Virginia. I haven't seen the sky that black in a long time. I saw three satellites pass overhead and watched the milky way blur on the horizon. My friend was in North Carolina when he wrote the poem below. Where were you the last time you let the sky swallow you whole?
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This is a delayed trip report from my spring adventure to Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park, WV.

I hiked with George (@privong), Katie (@k8tlevy) and Dan (@kakistocrat) after camping at the Big Meadows Campground on Saturday evening. The drive to the campground was beautiful. Skyline Drive is a twisty, windy, scenic road of goodness. Nearly every turn has a breathtaking view as you slowly increase your altitude through the park. Coming from the DC area where the temperatures were cresting 80, throwing a jacket into my pack was an after thought. For the rest of the group who forgot warm clothes it turned out to be a very sorely missed thought. That night temperatures plummeted into the 30's, making waking up and leaving the warm tent/sleeping bag incredibly hard.
 
 
I'm posting the video I made for SDO's Launch Tweetup - in case you haven't seen it. I'd like to say again how much fun I had, and a big thank you to everyone who took their time and money and came to Florida to be part of our big day. :)

#ball