Technology Woes

Things here in Florida have been busy and it really doesn't feel like all that much time has passed since I was home in Wisconsin for the holidays. Then whoosh! Gone is January and things are popping up left and right for work and other things are pooping out. I was loaned a friend's waterproof camera and it turned out to be not so waterproof. I offerred to get it fixed since it was in my using it that it broke. Well, apparently it would cost more to fix it than to buy a new one. Awesome. Then, my computer poops out with a whole slew of viruses! Not sure what the damage done there is, but I'm looking at some carnal damage to the bank accounts this week.
I thought technology was supposed to make our lives easier...

Key Largo, Montego, Baby why don't we go!

Off to the Florida Keys for the epic finale of my Open Water Diver Certification course! The winds are howling at 20-25 knots and the reef side chop is between 4 and 7 ft. But no worries! I'm bringing the ginger gum and non-drowsy dramamine to keep from feeding the fish my well earned lunch of peanut butter and my home made jam! Ha! Take that Northwest winds! Cool under water pictures to follow...

Life in the Swamp

Well, lately it's been hot. I know all of you reading this are probably like, "Um, duh! You moved to Florida!" Well, I mean even the locals think it's unseasonally hot for this time of year. Like muggy, humid, sunny, windy...yep all of the perfect ingredients for me to have white girl fro! For real! My hair was so dry and coarse feeling, I went straight for the olive oil instead of conditioner for my hair. On a side note, it worked really well, but for those of you looking for a good remedy let me give you this advice: a little goes a long way! And that's all that I have to say about that.

Moving right along. I have had some great experiences here so far and contrary to popular belief, alligators don't just run up to you and attack. In fact, unless you are a) jumping on top of them, b) walking your dog right next to them, c) swimming in a canal with them in it, or d) feeding them marshmallows they really aren't concerned with you. Yeah, so out west walking a small dog is called "mountain lion trolling". Down here, it's called "Gator trolling" and your dog doesn't have to be small for them to be interested. Just a tip.

But the cypress swamp is one of those amazing places that few people visit and even fewer appreciate it for what it is. It's not one of those places that just wow's you. It's a place that you have to get into it's heart and then you find all the small intricate things that make it beautiful. Just so you know what I mean, here are some pictures that I've been taking. Enjoy!

Cypress sap and cool shelf mushrooms.

Clamshell orchid and Swamp Lily.

Cypress needles and the cypress swamp area of the Turner River.

Baby Alligator and Green Tree Frog.

My first visitor! Me and my friend Erin McBrady biking Shark Valley and then she dropped me off for work before she headed back to Minneapolis. What a sweet heart!

Moving to Florida

View of Sedona at Sunset/Me and the girls/Sharlot and Amanda outside the Asylum for dinner.

Boynton Canyon trail near Sedona.

So, for those of you who still follow this, but didn't know yet...I'm moving to Florida! I've got a job with Big Cypress National Preserve. So, I'm leaving Arizona in 4 days and traveling across the country yet again to go live in the swamp and hang out with kids in nature. It doesn't get better than that! But, just to update you all on more pictures of my adventures, here are some great things that have been going on at the close of my time here in central Arizona.

Update a little late...

So, three months into Arizona summer and lots to show actually. Sorry that there hasn't been a whole lot up until now. Kind of hard to update this when I don't get on the internet all that much. Well, not unsecured internet at any rate. So, here are some pictures of adventures and I hope you all enjoy them!

Me and my bouldering buddies at Priest's Draw, Flagstaff.

Camping in Flagstaff.

Monsoons do happen! And the Tarantula living under the sidewalk.

V-V Ranch Petroglyphs. Montezuma Well one of the places I work.

Unwanted critter outside my front door.

Storming the Castle!

So, one of the many perks of being a park ranger is that you get to do sweet things that the everyday visitor doesn't get to do while visiting your site. This one happened to be going up into Montezuma's Castle with the three park archeologists and get a personal tour around this cliff dwelling that was built around 1000 A.D. and inhabited until 1400 A.D. Needless to say, it was awesome!!! So, enjoy the photo tour of what it would have been like to be a Sinagua indian living here 600 years ago.

We have to climb ladders like the ancients would have in order to get up there. It's pretty high. I can't imagine trying to carry all the supplies to build let alone just carry water and food up and down several times a day!


I'm inside one of the cooking rooms. The archeologists are sitting and taking in the view.

So many of these doorways were for people much smaller than me. This is the roof of one of the rooms and they chopped these huge trees for supports with rock axes that are more blunt than anything we would consider an axe. That these huge beams are up here is a building miracle!


(on the left) This is looking down from the 5th floor of the Castle. (on the right) This is looking at one of the doorways we came in initially.

ROAD TRIP!!!!

Here are a few pictures from the road trip Mom and I are taking to Camp Verde. Enjoy!

Omaha by night from the amazing room Justin got us. Love ya Justin!

Mom and I eating lunch at a rest stop in Nebraska. It was cold!

After sleeping well at Amy's, we took the long way over to Frisco to meet Whitney for Bfast.

We saw some backcountry skiers/snowboarders and I was looking longingly at the snow with envy.

Sarah, this one's for you!

Mom and I at Arches National Park.

So, we decided since we're in cowboy country that we both needed cowboy hats that would also protect our white Wisconsin skin from the sun. Yehaw!