Survived Day One

I survived my first day of intern year. I was lucky that there weren't too many patients on the service, so I got to dip my toes in slowly. The anxiety this morning was high, but once rounds were over and I got my bearings everything was just fine. Only a year left to go!

Orientation Complete

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of new friends, administrative tasks, learning new computer systems, and lot of fun times. My intern class is great, and I think they will become wonderful friends very quickly. Today, we had our last day of orientation, and now I only have one day off before starting the grind of intern year. My final furniture will arrive tomorrow (at least that I have ordered; I still need a dining room table and chairs), and we have the anesthesiology department graduation tomorrow night with a nice dinner. Tonight I plan on getting some good rest since tomorrow is my last day to get a good long sleep in for a while! I can't believe everything starts so soon!

Arrival of the Stuff

Today I was able to go to U-Haul and pick up my box of stuff! I woke up this morning and apparently missed the plumber who was supposed to come, because he came way before he was supposed to. I sat around waiting for him for a while until I found out what it happened around 9am. After that, the movers called and said they were ready early if I was ready to unpack my stuff, but I hadn't picked up my Ubox yet. I drove down to U-Haul to try and get my box, and the line was insane. I eventually got to the front of the line, and was told that they didn't have my box ready yet, and it could be hours before they had it ready. I sat around in hopes that maybe they would feel bad and get me my box, and it worked! I got my box, brought it home, and the two movers we hired to help to unpack everything were there as I pulled into my driveway. I'm so glad we had the movers help, it made everything so nice for me.

After unpacking I returned the truck and the Ubox and then bought a cheap tv antenna so I wouldn't be bored anymore! It took a while for me to figure out how to make it work, but I now have a fully functional television, yay! No more boring home without any form of entertainment. Now I have a lot of unpacking to do, but I'll get through that slowly. Just happy for all that to be done and to officially have everything with me. 

Day 8: Wyoming --> Idaho --> Oregon

Today I packed up my tent and headed out of Yellowstone with the intention to head south towards Grand Teton National Park and then onto Jackson. From there I thought I may stay in Jackson, or maybe head a little into Idaho so I could make it home by tomorrow. I entered the Tetons and decided I was just ready to head west, and decided to skip that stop. I did however get to see parts of the national park and it was very beautiful. I kept driving towards Jackson, which was a cute town that looked a lot like you expect the old west to look like. I decided not to stop and kept going. Somewhere around there I started thinking that it would be nice just to get all the way to Portland, but it was still a good 12 hours away and I didn't think it was actually possible. So I continued west.

The Tetons

I made it to Idaho Falls, ID around lunch and decided I needed some potatoes. The last time I tried to get a potato in Idaho I failed to acquire one, so I figured I'd try again. I went to a restaurant my mom googled, but the wait was too long, so once again my potato plot was foiled. I ended up just getting to the freeway and stopping at a Subway to grab a sandwich instead, which was fine. 

So I just kept driving, planning to stop when I got tired. I listened to some podcasts, talked to my parents and my sister on the phone (us all crying a little as we talked about Koa, who I continue to kiss dearly), and just kept progressing. Somehow I ended up definitively deciding I was going to make it home tonight, and that's just what I did! I drove through more national forests, state parks, along the Columbia river, and finally made it home around 11 something. It's so nice to be in my own bed! I made it here in a week, and drove over 900 miles today alone! I'll post the exact mileage tomorrow when I look at my odometer. For now it's finally time to get some rest!

Day 7: Yellowstone

Today was my day to explore the first ever national park, Yellowstone! This morning it was super cold, which woke me up really early. I used it as an opportunity to see some early morning wildlife, so some time around 5:30am I got out of my tent, made breakfast (oatmeal and tea), got dressed, and headed out! It was nice to be on the roads early since not too many people are out that early. The worst part was the angle of the sun that shined at just the right angle to hit all the big guys and now frozen windshield wiper fluid so that I couldn't see out of it at all. That was remedied by the defroster and the slight turn of the road. The plan was to do the north loop today and the south loop tomorrow on my way out of the park, but since I finished the north loop just a little after lunch I powered through both today.

The day started with a nice scenic point and of course some bison on the road. There was no lack of bison today either. They kind of feel like the elephants on my safari in Africa; really cool the first few times, and not so noteworthy after that. They are still pretty majestic animals. For the rest of the day my strategy was to find groups of people looking at something, pull over, and ask what they were looking at. It serves me very well. The first stop I made with this method was right at a beautiful black bear. I must say, today was the first true time I was so unbelievably thankful to have a 300x zoom lens and a tripod. They too serves me well, like my animal spotting method. I even wish I had binoculars and/or a lens that zoomed even more. If I ever come back here I will have to remember that! Anways, the black bear was super cool.

My first black bear sighting!

After the bear I saw a couple more scenic spots, and then came across another black bear sleeping under a tree not too far from the road! She was really neat to see. Apparently she had two cubs, but no one could find them in the tree, it was just hearsay from people who'd seen her before. Speaking of that, there are people who literally come here for weeks at a time and just sit around photographing wildlife. They will sit in one spot all day watching the same animal of they can, it's nuts! What a life. While see the bear I also saw a falcon (or hawk I don't really know). 

Mama black bear

After seeing supposedly mama bear I made it to the road leading towards the Lamar Valley since I had heard you could see wolves there. I saw some pronghorns, and obviously more bison, and then came across a huge group of people! It seemed exciting, so I parked and went over. Apparently there were some wolf pups and they had chased a baby pronghorn. I didn't see that, and really tried to find them but couldn't for the life of me. I did see more bison though, woo hoo! I did capture their blurry image it looks like when I was looking through my pictures, but it was too far away to get anything good. 

After that bummer miss I kept driving into the valley. I stopped where some people showed me some baby owls in the rock face (once again, thank you 300x zoom). I then saw more bison and then came upon another somewhat gather group. They had spotted a lone wolf. I got out and set up my tripod. This time I could actually see him! He was howling at the pack on the far side of the valley and river, and they were all howling back at him! It was so cool! They other side had a pack of around six, which I again only knew thanks to my zoom, and even then they were kind of blurry and small, but without it I could barely see them as dots unless they were actively moving. I watched the wolves for quite a long time, maybe almost an hour. We were hoping the lone wolf would cross the road, but I got sick of watching. One of the pack wolves came into the middle of the bison herd and they all charged at him, which was cool to see. 

There are owls in the crack, trust me!

So many bison!

The black dot is a wolf, promise.

After the wolves I drove back to the main loop. Not far from where I joined back up to the main loop I spotted a grizzly bear (don't worry, there was a gorge of sorts between us)! It was actually pretty close, so that was pretty cool. Someone there told me a black bear was out with her cubs a bit back, so I backtracked to see that. Turned out to be the same mama black bear from before and her two cubs were playing in a tree. They were so small and so cute! I missed when they were frolicking in the meadow, but could still see them. It was hard to capture on camera though because of the shadows. 

Grizzly bear!

After the little bears I continued on my journey in the right direction. The beginning of the loops took forever since I kept stopping for wildlife, but it was worth it. I hit some weird traffic that turned out to be because a bison hers was in the road, and eventually made it to some hot springs. From there on out I didn't see much more wild life. A few bison, a bear that wasn't actually a bear, but another bison and the people there before me were mistaken, and two sandhill cranes. Most of the rest of my drive was full of some beautiful scenery and stop to see thermal elements around the park. I even stopped to see Old Faithful! I got a pulled pork sandwich there, which I immediately regretted as I felt so gross afterwards, and then went to see when the geyser would go. Turned out it wasn't happening for an hour so I killed some time and eventually got to see it go. Pretty cool, but not as exciting as seeing the animals. 

Thermal springs

Old Faithful!

By the time I got back to the Canyon Village area I had been for almost 12 hours! I bought some pasta sauce at the general store and made myself some very simple pasta for dinner. It was good but nothing too special.

Overall I had a pretty long and tiring day, but it was only about to get harder. First of all my service here sucks. It's so spotty and nothing will load and I can't even make a phone call. Occasionally there is a bright moment when I can send one text or post this blog, but sometimes even that can't happen. I texted my mom to say I was still alive (since we usually talk during my trip and I haven't been able to here), and I amazed how Koa was doing since he's been sick. She asked if I could make phone calls and I knew something was wrong. My heart started racing and I felt bad so I went to the lodge at the village and called using the pay phone (I don't even remember the last time I used one of those!). After some difficulty I was able to place my call and I found out that Koa passed away this morning. Obviously I was devastated and it pretty much dominated the rest of my night. We had a really close bond and I truly don't think there is any other dog like him out there now, or ever. I will miss him forever and always. I didn't know what to do so I sat in my car for a bit and then decided I needed to talk to anyone, so I drove 5 miles to near where the cell tower is (luckily they show where the cell towers are on the maps) and was able to talk to mom for a while. This will never be easy, but there's nothing I could do. He was well loved and I only wish I could have cuddled him one last time. RIP my sweet Koa, I'll miss you muffin!

Day 6: Driving through Wyoming

Today wasn't super exciting, mostly just driving. I left my hotel after breakfast and set out on my journey across Wyoming. I passed through the Bighorn National Forest, went 12 miles at a 10% grade downhill (my brakes definitely smelled by the end of that, but don't worry they still function great), drove through Cody where Buffalo Bill thing reign supreme, drove through the Shoshone National Forest, and finally entered Yellowstone National Park. The 40 miles or so from the entrance to the park to the campground was really pretty. Within a few minutes there was a bison walking on the road. Little did I know bison were everywhere once I got further in the park. I saw some lakes, including Yellowstone Lake, lots of bison, some elk, some ground squirrels (I think), and some just generally beautiful views.

When I got to the area of the campsite I went to the visitor center and rented some bear spray for while I'm here just in case, and then checked in at the campground. I set up my tent and read the paper they give you when you enter a national park. I then decided I needed to kill some time or I would get too bored, so I went to the village area and got my magnet that I am now apparently collecting. Too bad I didn't start collecting when I first started traveling instead of just the last year. Oh well. After that drove the North Rim Loop and hiked down to the top of the lower falls and saw the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. It was beautiful! The road was one was so I went to the lookout points along the way and got some pictures. I also saw a beating osprey, though it was a bit far away. 

My campsite in Cedar Pass

After driving the North Rim I came back to the campsite and made myself a Cup of Noodles (okay, an Instant Lunch) and  an apple for dinner. I'll probably make myself a smore soon and then maybe read until it's dark. There's no evening program here until Sunday night (bad timing for me), so I plan to hopefully fall asleep early and then wake up early to start driving the park. This will not be the no driving day I anticipated, but I think it will be worth it! 

Day 5: South Dakota --> Wyoming

Today was a day of driving and famous stops. I was in a National Park, a National Grassland, a National Forest, a National Memorial and at a National Monument all in the same day today! I also saw a publicly funded monument which I'll talk about in a minute.

Let start with the National Park. I woke up this morning in The Badlands, as expected since that's where I went to sleep! I packed up my tent and everything I had inside it, ate a really quick breakfast (thank goodness I grabbed a wrapped muffin at my last hotel cause I really didn't want to cook this morning), and got on my way! 

Next up was driving through the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. Buffalo Gap surrounds the Badlands, so I've seen it, but still, I was there again today. I stopped on a gravel road the man at the National Grasslands Visitor Center told me about so I could find some prairie dogs. I drove about two miles and then found a colony! They were smaller than I expected and pretty cute, though signs had warned not to get out of your car since they carry the plague. Yes, THE plague. Not something you want to acquire right before residency. After taking a bunch of random pictures I got back on my way and continued driving through Buffalo Gap. 

Cute little prairie dogs

My first out of the car stop was at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. It was actually much cooler than I anticipated, having heard about how un-impressive and commercialized it was. I don't think it was like that at all, and actually really enjoyed the stop. I walked around the little museum, watched the short film about its creation, and obviously viewed the mountain. I also read a funny fact in the South Dakota travel brochure I picked up at Cabela's a few days back. The man who was the lead on the project was very competitive, and since the workers had a baseball team he often hired workers based on their ability to play so they would do well! Anyways, it was a nice stop. 

After Mount Rushmore I drove the roughly 17 miles through the Black Hills National Forest to the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is a memorial for all North American Indian tribes, but features Crazy Horse, a member of the Oglala-Lakota tribe. All of the heads in Mount Rushmore can apparently got in the space of the Crazy Horse head!! It's hard to appreciate that since you are further away when viewing it, and it's no where near complete but it's pretty cool nonetheless. It was begun by a man who was initially an apprentice on Mount Rushmore, and the tribes in the area asked him to make a monument. He created the idea for Crazy Horse and started it all on his own!! He did amazing things all by himself on a crazy low budget. His family eventually became involved in the project and now continue the memorial monument after his death. He had five sons and five daughters, and seven of them still work with the memorial. Pretty cool! There is also a museum there, a short video, and a gift shop. The full vision also includes a University for northern American Indians and a medical training center as well. His family seems committed to the initial vision so it will be interesting to see how it develops throughout my life. 

After Crazy Horse I continued my drive through Black Hills into Wyoming to the Devils Tower National Monument. It is a pretty cool natural land feature. In the same South Dakota book I read a ledges about how a giant bear was chasing twins and they asked the spirit to help them. At that point they rose up on a giant rock. The bear tried to climb up but only was able to claw and slide down the rock side, creating the gauge marks in its sides. That's obviously a horrible paraphrase, but you get the picture. The area is really pretty, and there was also a prairie dog town there that was a lot closer to me, so I got some awesome pictures. 

Saw a buffalo in front of Devils Tower

At the prairie dog town at Devils Tower

Little baby prairie dog

Devil Tower is pretty beautiful and impressive 

After Devils Tower I drove the rest of the way to my hotel in Wyoming. It was nice to have a shower and now I'm watching the Warriors game! Tomorrow I head out to my next National Park! Can't wait!

Day 4: The Badlands

Today was my day in The Badlands National Park. I woke up and made myself some oatmeal with blueberries, an egg, and turkey bacon for breakfast. Definitely not an easy task with one small burner! I learned my lesson on trying to boil too much water at once, it took forever, and probably used half my fuel canister! Luckily I brought two just in case. After breakfast I got ready to spend the day in the park and then headed out in the car. 

My first stop was the Saddle Pass trailhead. I hiked up the trail, which is quite steep, to the main Castle Trail. The Medicine Root Trail also starts there and makes a loop with the Castle Trail, so I hiked those for around 4 miles. It was really nice and the weather today was amazing!! 

After hiking I made myself some quick salami and cheese sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls and finished the 240 loop through the Badlands. I stopped at a bunch of viewpoints (and had a flashback to seeing the Waimea Canyon with grandma Nancy) and it was all very spectacular! I tried to go to the Prairie Dog Town, but the road that way was closed so I couldn't. I left the park and drove to Wall, SD and went to the Wall Drug Store, because how could you not after over 200 miles of billboards for it? It's a huge amalgam of random things and it was fun to walk around. I got myself some batteries for my headlamp and a better spoon so I can fit more than one noodle at a time! 

After the drug store I stopped at the National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall. It's actually the visitor center for all 19 National Grasslands from the West Coast to Chicago and from North Dakota to Texas! I watched a little video about the national grasslands and then saw a lecture about Prairie Dogs. I then hit the road again bad to the part of the Badlands I started in.  

When I re-entered the park I hiked the short Door trail, which had some spectacular vistas! I'm glad I made the stop for sure. I then visited the Badlands visitor center and got myself a magnet and watched a video about the Badlands. When I got back to the campsite I reorganized my car to make it easier to get out what I need and tolerate a pantry area so my food wasn't so strewn about and disorganized. I then made some turkey hotdogs for dinner with a bag of Maui onion potato chips with a smore for dessert.   After dinner I went to evening program about the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands and I met Smokey Bear!  All in all a fun day. 

Hiking the Medicine Root Trail

On the Medicine Root Trail

Big Horn Sheep!

The Famous Wall Drug

On the Door Trail

On the Door Trail

Cooking turkey hotdogs

Finished product

Meeting Smokey and Preventing Forest Fires