Blog Archives
Post #668: Providence Canyon State Park
There’s only one word that can describe Providence Canyon.
Actually, there’s not even one word that can capture everything that the canyon is. It’s magnificent, spectacular, incredible, and unbelievable. If you tried to combine all of those words, you’d get something like ‘magspectincrievable.” Not cool.
I thought long and hard about posting pictures, but the scaled-down versions I would need to post in order to make them fit on the home page isn’t worth compromising the beauty of each one. It deserves to be viewed on a grand scale – I recommend in person.
At the park, I hiked the three-mile Canyon Loop Trail. It circled the first five canyons and offered unbelievable views towards the end of the loop. Another trail, the Backcountry Trail, is seven miles in length and takes you further into the canyons themselves. I am almost certainly going back in the near future, maybe in the Spring, to hike that one.
Do an image search online for “Providence Canyon State Park.” Then, be prepared for the overwhelming feeling of wanting to be there in person.
Post #660: Odds and Ends
The rest of this past week since I posted last time has been good. I was able to do a little bit of shift work finally, which will help me adjust better to the new office down here, and their local procedures and regulations. I didn’t do much in-processing due to my actual shift hours and the fact that most agencies close earlier than I’d like them to. This coming week should be a bit more newbie-friendly and I should be able to cross off a lot of checklist items.
As far as me personally, I’m good too. It’s really been a lazy week, although I’ve finally been able to start my workout routine again. Nothing major, since it’s been about a month since my last activity, but I feel good and it won’t be long before I’m back into the swing of things fully.
It doesn’t look like I’m gonna be able to watch much of the race tomorrow since I’m working in the afternoon for a few hours. Hopefully I can get home in time to at least see the finish. Only one race left after this one and that’s it for this season. Then it’s off to Daytona in February with Jeff for the 500!
Post #654: North Dakota to Georgia – Day Three
After I woke up this morning, I went over to Iowa 80 for breakfast. I snapped a couple more pictures that I couldn’t get last night of the other sign.
Inside, they had a nice display of a Ford Model A in the retail area.
The drive today took my into Henderson, Kentucky. I was going to stop in Evansville but decided to go about 20 miles further. I’m not all that tired and I could have kept going, but I figured it was a good place to stop for now. Tomorrow I’ll try to make it as far as Chattanooga, TN.
Post #647: The Moving Company Called…
The moving company called today to get some more details about the things I’ll be moving. I went through all of my major items once again and she said they will need about four hours to pack and load it all, which really isn’t that bad at all. They’ll be here around 9:00am on the 19th of October. So far everything is still on schedule and going smoothly. I took some time today to make up a nice list of things I’ll be taking with me in my vehicle, just so I don’t forget anything stupid and need it on the way down or after I get there.
I’m watching qualifying for this weekend’s race right now. ‘Person of Interest’ comes on a bit later and I’ll be watching that!
Post #646: One Week Left!
I just wrapped up my final day at work here at MAFB. As mentioned before, the only things left to do are some very minor tasks that can easily be done in a matter of a couple of hours, although I’ve been given a week to finish them up. I’m going to take tomorrow to start getting some of my packing done. Things like clothes can start to be put in my luggage for the trip. I went to Walmart tonight and picked up a brand new luggage set, which I was overdue for anyway. Until now, I had just been using a couple of large duffle bags for trips back home and vacations, but I decided it was time to upgrade to a nice luggage set, and this was the perfect time to do it! The moving company will be taking larger items like my love seats and other furniture, but things like my uniforms and whatnot really need to stay with me for the entire trip, just in case something were to go wrong and the moving company arrives late…or loses my shipment! I’m not too worried about things going wrong – the moving company is a local branch of a national chain, so they have a lot of experience and credibility.
Other than that, not a whole lot went on today. I watched ‘American Horror Story’ this evening. I really, really like the show. I think it’s one of the best new shows on television right now, even though the people who watch it aren’t your normal audience. It’s on later at night and the show gets away with content that would otherwise not be even close to suitable for cable television. It’s certainly creepy and dramatic, but it includes elements of fantasy at the same time, which is something you would really need to watch to find out how it works for this particular show.
Let the countdown begin: One week to go before I’m Georgia bound!
Post #643: Practicing VS Professing (Continued)
I received some interesting feedback from one of the individuals that were the subject of my last post. I must say, her response was well typed out, which was a relief for my eyes. However, the content of the response left a lot to be desired. Let me explain.
Quote:
“You have no idea the skill involved to make a quality x-ray weld, not just on pipe on any kind of metal.”
Correct! I couldn’t make a quality “x-ray weld” if my life depended on it at the moment. However, this being said, it doesn’t excuse the fact that it is a job that requires no further education (or even high school, for that fact) to do. If I wanted to learn how to weld pipe, I could easily do this without going to college. Such is not the case for what I chose to study – law enforcement. These days, you really can’t just jump into a car and patrol the streets, investigate criminal activity, or brings a successful case to court. More and more police agencies are realizing this and requiring further education in order to be hired for a position. Welding pipe will never require an education, and the same goes for anything in the same general field, such as basic construction and plumbing. Yes, these jobs are necessary for someone to do to keep our country running and maintained properly, but just because someone has to do it, doesn’t mean you have to volunteer yourself to be the one who skips out on a quality future and education.
Being successful in life is not based solely on what you do for a job or a career. It’s also about how you improve yourself personally, whether it’s something your friends know about or not. Taking college courses, going to adult education classes, and volunteering at local charities are all things one can do to personally improve and be a worthwhile individual in society. Having a well-paying job alone will not qualify one as being a successful individual.
Things I have done to improve myself personally outside of work, include;
- Volunteering at local events aimed at raising money for the community
- Filling sandbags to help with flood control in Minot
- Donating an annual contribution to child abuse prevention programs
- Obtaining certifications in Health and Wellness in my spare time
- Continuing my college education (which is increasingly more important in my line of work)
- Countless other things!
One other quote I would like to bring to the attention of my readers, is;
“I bought my daughter boots with MY OWN money!”
Well, hooray for you! You can afford boots! My financial course has allowed me to buy brand new $40,000 vehicles, vacation condos, brand new luxuries, and top-of-the-line clothes. But hey, at least you can afford boots!
This last sentence being said, you just keep on playing up your life and see where the talk gets you. I’m out enjoying my life extremely comfortably while you brag about being able to buy boots, even though you can’t afford a couch to sit on, quite literally.
Remember, EVERYONE in this country is afforded the same opportunity to succeed, and everyone can. Apparently you let your opportunity pass you by. I, however, figured out life. Enjoy!
Post #635: I’m Geocaching Again!
It’s been so long since I’ve been active with Geocaching, and it’s exciting to start-up again! This coming weekend I plan on taking a lengthy road trip for an entire day of it, and I can’t wait! The weather looks like it’ll stay nice enough right through the entire weekend for me to make some finds.
I’ve already created my group postthat I’ll be running when I get to Georgia. I plan on starting to instruct others on the sport and teach some classes to get people going on the basics of the great hobby. The group is already being promoted and members are free to join at any time. I can’t wait to meet new Cachers!
I was telling some coworkers about the sport the other day, and one created an account to get started. So, this weekend (except Saturday night when I’ll be working at the BEP concert) I’ll be out and about getting some sun, bug bites, bee stings, and scratches in the woods just to find hidden Tupperware containers.
That’s my upcoming adventure. What’s yours?
Post #617: Pictures from California!
As you know from my earlier entries, I took a short trip to the Napa Valley region of California this past weekend, and I had an AMAZING time. The weather was gorgeous and well into the 80s on a daily basis, and the scenery was perfect. Rolling hills in wine country, beautiful Lake Berryessa, and Infineon Raceway all made for one of the best vacations I could have imagined. I wish my stay there was longer, but I certainly plan on returning in the future, especially for Berryessa.
- My hotel room at Inn Marin
- Lake Berryessa
- The lagoon behind the Lake Berryessa Visitor’s Center.
- Stairway to the lagoon
- Where I went swimming!
- Mt. Diablo in the distance
- Chocolate Lava Cake with berries and vanilla ice cream!
- Marcos Ambrose and Miss Sprint Cup, Paige!
- Joey Logano!
- Darrell Waltrip
- Mark Martin’s introduction during pre-race ceremonies
- Golden Gate Bridge
Post #616: Leaving Minot in October!
I finally have orders out of Minot! Next month, on the 27th of July, I will have been here for exactly three years. I haven’t really minded this place. I love what I do, which I’ve mentioned a billion times on here, but I really don’t mind the location. The winters don’t bother me as much as most people. I mean, as long as you aren’t running around barefoot in January, you’ll live through it.
My orders are to Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Georgia. It’s a beautiful base and I can’t wait to get there! I have nothing standing in my way right now. As soon as I get my outprocessing checklist completed I can leave. Right now it looks like that will be sometime in early October, but possible a tad sooner if all goes as planned. The latest date I can be there is October 30th. I might take a few days of leave on top of my travel days so I can do some sightseeing on the way down from North Dakota.
The base is in a GREAT location. Only 30 miles from Florida, close to Tallahassee, Orlando, Daytona, Panama City Beach, Pensacola, Atlanta, and South Carolina. It’s really gonna rock, majorly! I’ll keep everyone posted as I find out more in the coming weeks!
I signed the lease a few days ago on a new apartment downtown. As of right now I still plan on moving in their for a couple of months just so I can start collecting my housing allowance. If I do that, I’ll still be able to get paid it while I’m en route to Georgia, so why not collect?! I mean, it’s an extra $700 bucks a month, so duh, easy decision!
On a side note, tonight was the Season Finale of ‘The Killing’ on AMC. I was under the impression that the case would be solved in the last episode, but apparently it’s going to flow over to Season Two. I hate cliffhangers!
