#but the river guide said I got Extra Cool Points for not freaking out and giving them a thumbs up while the rapids were spinning me around

[gottagobuycheese]

Quick Life Update

Hello hello, my fellow internet urchins! I know activity here’s always extremely sporadic, and that’s not gonna change in the near or moderately distant future (unless I suddenly acquire incredible time management skills but...ha), BUT I figured since I’ve got an impromptu day off it might be worth sticking an interim update here in case I go months without a peep, so here’s what’s been happening lately:

Moved countries and continents again!

Started a new job for better or for worse lol

Found and am currently wading between at least three new(-ish) obsessions (which will hopefully surface here at some point instead of staying on the backburner indefinitely) 

Forgot how to draw :(

RE-LEARNED HOW TO DRAW

Smooched death on the cheek twice in completely unrelated events of varying degrees of stupidity*

(...Okay that’s a much smaller list than I expected, it feels like it’s been a year but I guess it’s only been a bit under two months XD)

Anyhow, expect some long overdue reblogs coming this way as well as some artwork, old and new! It will probably be irrelevant to pretty much all of y’all who are still here but if you’ve been here a while I trust you know this is part and parcel of this blog skjdhfsk

[lucifer-lacroix]

Strawberry CHAPTER 1 (rewrite #2)

Arthur X Original character

With pictures from my game of actual outfit

Romance/Western

"I decided to take a ride out of blackwater on my own for a while. Hosea has been riding me all week about getting into trouble back at the saloon again, guess I shouldn't have had that third bottle of whiskey which started the brawl. I thought it best to disappear until things cool down. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells since Hosea and Dutch are trying to cook up some big plan. Anyways, I'm heading up to Mount Shann where a bald eagle has nested. I have never seen one before, so if I get lucky, I'll see one for myself.”

It was a wet afternoon on a spring day along the trail of the State of New Hanover. It was 1898, and a blonde man known as Arthur Morgan scribbled into his leather back journal on horseback, stopped on the edge of the road. A charcoal pencil in hand he sketched the gate of the fence specifically of the pillars of wood holding up the frame. The horse he sat upon was a young white Arabian which grazed in the grass sheltered from the rain under a tree. Grazing at the horses' side was a dark brown Mule tied by a rope to the Arabian's saddle. Down the trail from them was a large gate welcoming travellers to the town of Strawberry which he had sketched roughly into his journal. Arthur dressed in a white bison leather coat with a wolf pelt draped over his shoulders studied the image after he deemed it complete with a proud little smile on his lips. A worn and torn green gamblers hat tipped low over his eyes cast a shadow over his face. As people walked by, they paid him little mind as they scurried down the road heading for the train whose bell chimed in the distance. As the clouds started to disperse the sun broke through as mother nature finished her storming. After the rain calmed to a spit and the crowd dispersed, Arthur folded up his journal and tucked it away into his satchel for safe keeping. He shook out his fur cowl of any last remaining droplets of water and dusted off his sleeves before taking up the reigns of his horse. He reared the beautiful creature back away from the grass on the ground, and she honked disapprovingly at him for interrupting her snack.

"Hey, now Princess there will be better food once we arrive at the stable." He said patting her neck as she pranced in the spot shaking her wet mane. Arthur leaned back and eased her to turn around slowly where the sound of a loud honk sounded the mule standing behind them. He clicked his tongue on his teeth and squeezed Princess with his thighs, and she pushed forward heading up the hill through the gate. The long ride to this point had exhausted Princess, the extra weight of a buck carcass hanging off her rear slowing her stride. Behind them, the mule too was carrying a buck much larger than hers but was happily trotting along behind them on the lead tied to Princess. He was honking for Arthur who looked back to him catching the Mule trying to nip at the horses tail. "Come on you jealous boy?" He asked and tugged the rope so the Mule would follow closer to him on his left and leave her alone.

As Arthur and his two beasts crested the hill, they entered a small yet bustling town inside a forest. Beautiful trees surrounded the village, and many of the buildings were in the middle of being constructed. There was also a flowing river that had a bridge erected over it and on a sunny day, it would have been a gorgeous place to visit. Unfortunately, like most poorly laid out towns, the weather had swept chaos through and wreaked havoc. Carts and horses had gotten stuck in the mud, and some people were even knee deep trying to recover their things. The main thoroughfare was dangerous for how many people in panic were trying to pull their stuck horses from the mud pits. Arthur dodged his two mammals around the long way and through the shallow mud avoiding the populated areas by keeping to the grass, and brought them to the closest hitch he could find to the butcher. The cowboy dismounted and tied them together on the post. As he approached the butcher counter no one was attending as the majority of people in the area were gathered in the around some commotion by a black and blue fancy carriage. He walked towards the crowd curiously and heard two women fighting, their shrill screams echoing from the foot of the carriage door. Arthur got closer by weaving through the crowd as the people who cheered loudly. Sheer morbid curiosity enticed him to see why there was a cheering section to the fight. Once he got through the last of the crowd, a loud smash sounded as wood splintered across the face of one of the aggressors in the conflict. Arthur dodged a projectile which smacked the man behind him in the face making his yelp and cover his nose — quickly he turned back to see the two women. They were in a calf-deep pit of mud covered head to toe in grim and wrestling one another. One woman was standing ankle deep in the dirt wearing a red dress and heels. She was tall with broad shoulders and muscular arms current pulling the second aggressor's hair. "You lying bitch! That was my momma's ring, and I'll be damned if I see it on your whore of a finger!" Victim to the strength of the broad woman A girl of sixteen screamed like a banshee as she struggled to break free. Her dark brown hair a muddy mess tangled up on her head like a lasso the lady in red used to control her. Her ragged clothing was revealing too much of her figure to the crowd, and she was currently at the mercy of the Lady in red. "Take it up with the jeweller! I paid for it!" The Lady in Red had a malicious tone but spoke calmly. She had control of the fight to the sacrifice of her expensive clothes now splattered with muck. She was, however, struggling in the dirt under the constraints of the wet skirt. There was a broken bucket beside them on the ground, and the red-head had splintered wood in her hair and blood dripping out her nose. "What happened?" Arthur asked witnessing the fight and taking in the scene. He felt his chest tighten for some reason as the crowd just stood there and watched as these two rather lovely ladies fight like animals to their amusement. "That little bitch there just smashed the Devil in the face with a bucket Hooheey! Hit her again!" A balding drunk chanted along with the others encouraging the fight. "Disgusting, you just sit there and watch!?" Authur shouted and marched into the centre of the crowd towards the two brawling women. He entered the mud pit which slowed his pace and without hesitation joined in. As the red-head slipped in her heels, the brunette swung her foot up in an attempt to kick her, but Arthur slapped it down and grabbed the redhead's hand and pried it free from the brunette's hair. "That's enough!" He shouted and forced them apart. The red-head barely fought against him as he pried her hand off of the girl. Once he threw her hand down, she pulled it to her chest panting heavily now she could regain herself. Dizzy from the head injury she looked at the strange, handsome man who decided the fight needed to stop with blurred vision. The Brunette, however, took this moment to attempt to tackle through Arthur but he stopped her easily and picked her up. The teen started kicking and screaming splashing mud over Arthur trying to get past him to attack the red-head again. He carried her a few steps away and set her down while she freaked out. "Let me go they're nuttin but a who-Augh!" In the midst of her tantrum, Arthur pushed her back, and she slipped in the mud and fell onto her butt in a large paddy of thick mud. "Shut up and go home." He barked loudly. It was clear she was the one who started the fight as the red-head merely stood there trying to regain her breath and was suffering from being smashed in the head with the bucket. "The fact you have anything to say about me Henrietta is a laugh! You've slept with half the town for free!" The red-head shouted after she brushed mud-soaked curly hair back off her face. There was a fury in her eyes as she tried to move but had gotten stuck in the mud. Dazed and unable to escape her heels she sounded tough but looked somewhat helpless. Arthur saw how she in distress and left the brunette to flounder in the muck to assist. He reached out giving her his hand, and she took it. Arthur gripped her firmly so she could peel herself out of the mud with her strength as he kept her balanced and guided her to solid ground.

"Are you alright mam?" He asked as she held her head. He noticed the matching red coat to her dress was trampled in the mud. Once she was standing on her own Arthur retrieved it for her and handed it back after shaking it out first. She took it and collected under her arm accepting the fact her dress got ruined. Her head was spinning, so the woman wasn't able to make good eye contact with anyone let alone formulate a response just yet. Arthur studied her for a moment, her face half smeared with mud which she was trying to clean off using her coat. He could scarcely see the freckles which crested her shallow nose from too much sun exposure and the scar on her chin which had healed poorly. However, Her eyes were a stunning green shade inside perfectly almond shaped lids which could not be masked by the dirt. For a brief moment, she glanced back and mouthed a thank you to him, and he felt his heart skip a beat. "I should be alright." She said and touched her nose and winced. Arthur approached her to get a better look at her injury, but before he was able to say anything, Henrietta interrupted. "I'll kill you!" Henrietta screamed after she finally scrambled up off the ground. She had gotten to her feet and grabbed a piece of splintered wood heading back for the woman in red. She stopped in her tracks as all the attention turned when the click of a gun being cocked sounded. Arthur had a surprised look on his face as he watched the red-head lightning quick drew his silver-plated volcanic pistol from his belt and pointed it at the brunette. He looked down to his empty holster and back to her somewhat intrigued on how she was able to stealthily and speedily draw his pistol. The crowd stood still as everyone froze waiting for the snap of a bullet to fire. Only silence followed. After a quiet minute of blood-curdling tension, A second click of another gun sounded behind him. This time eyes turned towards the carriage where the fight took place. "Excuse me. I think it's time you got back into the carriage, Isabella." A third woman stated in a soft, elegant voice with a British accent. She was wearing a large white hat with plums of coloured feathers and flowers with blonde curly hair tumbling out from under it. Her royal blue and the well-tailored corseted dress fit her curves snugly, and something about her struck Arthur as familiar as if he had seen her before. She was enchanting to witness, but her angelic look was contrasted by long barreled high-velocity rifle firm in her grip. She was standing in the door of the carriage with her boot stepped up on the frame so she could rest the barrel of the gun on her thigh and had pointed it at Henrietta. Arthur started to feel the sweat dripping down his neck at the situation he found himself in since his pistol was no longer in his hands. "May I suggest," Arthur spoke and put his hand on the red-heads and lowered her gun in a gentle motion. "You give her the ring?" He asked in which the red woman glared at him in response. "If she can pay for it." The blonde woman from the carriage said. "I can't pay for it... but it's mine." Henrietta had tears in her eyes, she was full spirited and ready to fight, but the two guns pointed at her left her scared and nervous. "Is it worth dying over?" Arthur asked her kindly. "...Yes," Henrietta replied as her eyes swelled up. Whatever the ring meant to her. It was surely something important since her face was red with rage. "Ugh! Fine!" The red-head let the pistol fall, and she let out a long frustrated growl and shoved it into Arthur's hands. He eased her rash actions and took the weapon and held it more confident in the situation now with his gun returned to him. The red-head pulled off her gloves and removed a small gold ring from her finger that has a sapphire embedded into it. "Take it, but you need to clean my clothes, the gentleman's too." She said and made her way over to Henrietta, the hem of her dress dragging through the mud, but she walked with a march. Once she approached the miserable girl, she handed the ring to her abruptly. As Henrietta gripped the splintered weapon tight in her grip, she wanted to swing, but the blonde still had her at gunpoint. Surrendering to them she dropped the chunk of wood and took the ring back, shaking her head silently in agreement. "Now that's the end of that! Everyone can go right fuck off then eh!" The red-head yelled at the crowd who groaned seeing such an anticlimactic end to the argument. They started to move on as the blonde released Henrietta from gunpoint. "I will pick up your clothes tomorrow at noon for cleaning," Henrietta said and slipped the ring on her finger and held it to her chest with a small smile on her lips. "I am fine no need to worry about me," Arthur said quickly left the situation. "Nonsense. A Gentlemen like yourself does not get to leave so suddenly. You stepped in the middle of a fight that is not your own to protect ladies from their own squabble. We have to thank you." The blonde spoke up and shouldered her weapon.

"I merely did not want to see bloodshed today. I'm glad I could assist good day mam." He said and tipped his hat to them and walked off anyway not turning back around. The ladies started discussing things amongst themselves, and Arthur exited the crowd he headed back to the butchers counter where the owner had just returned to after the fight ended.

“No one's going to buy you a drink for stopping that show partner.” He said as Arthur removed his wet wolf pelt and threw it on the saddle of his horse. “Hm Howdy to you too. I got a catch for you or would you rather I haul this off to someone else?” “Oh hold on there, I only kid show me what you got.” Arthur paused for a moment leaving the butcher to wait as he patiently thought out his next steps. Luckily his white bison leather jacket, handcrafted after hunting such a rare creature in the snowy mountains was only lightly splattered with mud. The wolf pelt, however, did not survive so well and shooting a new one would be easier than getting it cleaned. He could sell it, but he would rather sit on it for now. The weather in the distance started to darken as the thunder clouds began to grow above. What was a freak downpour was about to become a storm? If he needed to stay warm, it was the best thing to keep. He looked to his horse and mule and started to untie the carcasses from their backs while his thoughts were stirring deeper. Hiking up a mountain trail with two mammals was hard enough, and Princess was an extraordinarily skittish girl.  Even while Arthur lifted the buck off the Arabian's back, she danced and swayed in spot huffing heavily and shaking her mane. Princess would not fare well in a thunderstorm even with all of Arthur's attention, and he could not ignore his mule. “Ah, I sell em so yeah, what can you give me?” Arthur shouted to the butcher as he hauled it over and hung it on the rack. “Pretty good shot here mister, right through the heart with... a rifle?” The butcher inspected the creature as Arthur returned to the happy mule who neighed with joy when Arthur came near and stroked his neck.   "No! An arrow! Who's a good boy?" He soothed the goofy eared mammal after he shouted to the butcher who investigated the carcass with an impressed look. Arthur ruffled the mules floppy ears as it huffed and shivered nudging Arthur's chest with his nose before it began to nibble at his bandana tugging it gently. The entire time Arthur was giving him rough scratches behind his ears with gloved hands and a smile on his face.

"He's cute, what's his name?" A feminine voice spoke up from behind him. It was the blonde Englishwoman from the carriage. She must have followed him across the road. "I call him the Duke," Arthur said giving him a few heavy pats. "I'm in love with how sweet he is on you." She said and folded her hands over her heart watching the Duke fawn over his loving owner. "He's a handful though, always wanting attention but he is a good boy," Arthur replied when the Duke snatched the bandana from his neck and ripped two buttons off his shirt at the same time — trying to eat it while he was distracted. "Hey! No no no give it back." Arthur scrambled to pull the fabric out of the Duke's teeth before he swallowed it as a cackle of giggles burst from the blonde beauty who watched in amusement. Arthur stepped back away from the mule who extended himself to the maximum range he could on his lead, his teeth still desperately reaching for Arthur as he looked at the slobbery bandana now torn in two. "I'm glad I can entertain you," Arthur said and pocketed it as she finally overcame her giggle fit. "My apologies, but I had to come over and talk to you myself, and I'm not here to tease I promise." She said and stepped back allowing Arthur the space he needed so he could finish unloading his kill to the butcher. Arthur returned to his task and started to unstrap the second buck from the Duke's once he distracted him with a sugar cube. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Arthur asked as he hauled the buck onto his shoulder with ease. She was beautiful alright with her bright blue eyes and plump pink lips, but the smell of trouble was on her, and it was as strong as her perfume. "If you would allow myself and the girls to buy you dinner, as a thank you. Izzy is too proud to ask for help let alone thank someone herself. She doesn't like being a damsel in distress, but you stepped in when we needed someone to step in." The mysterious blonde stood and watched him work, and Arthur could feel her gaze as he hulled the second buck onto the table. The butcher took his hat off and made a loud whooping sound checking out the second carcass. "My lord! You are one good shot! Through the heart again! I bet the taxidermist would want this one look at the size of him!" The butcher started fishing out cash from his apron and collected it into a clip. A sly little grin on Arthur's face and he puffed his chest out a little bit when he stood back up. Taking off his gamblers hat to comb his hair back with his fingers as the butcher handed him the handful of cash. He took the money with a thank you and walked back to the girl who watched biting her index finger and eyeing him. "Well, I was going to ride north and camp in the mountains, but with this storm coming in and an invitation as welcoming like that. I'm still going to decline." Arthur said bluntly walking up to her to be direct. Her mouth was agape, and she gasped, but there was a massive smile on her face in response to the grin on Arthur's. "You are something else. Well maybe this will change your mind, My name is Lady Rosalyn Bush, and I suggest you reconsider. " She said and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well, now that's a familiar name, where have I heard it before?" Arthur asked looking at her curiously. Her face brought a sense of nostalgia to him, he had seen it before.  Lady Rosalyn stood tall and hicked up her skirt and stuck a pose like she was having her photo taken. "A man who enjoys camping must have a can of beans or two in his satchel. Nothing less than the best for the strong men who built our country. Perhaps you should take one out and look a little closer." She spoke with an American accent, and it was her voice which sang the song of beans on a film reel he saw at the theatre. Rosalyn rocked her hips and held her head up with an air of pride. Arthur, now curiously enchanted by her, did indeed have a can of beans on him. He flipped open his bag and not taking his eyes off her pulling it out giving her a hard look before checking the label. "Well, I'll be damned. Is this you?" He asked turning the label towards her. The image of a lady painted on the side beside the company brand with long braided blonde hair and big blue eyes. The painting was wearing revealing clothes with body proportions slightly elongated, but there was no doubt in his mind it was her. "Yes sir, and that is my recipe too." She said with a smile and struck the pose on the side label flashing her brilliant smile which was what brought that nostalgia to him. Many years were spent staring at her face on the side of the can beside campfires and dirty ditches.   "Then I must be dreaming if I am in the presence of someone truly famous because I sure do enjoy your beans very much," Arthur said and gave her a bow. A little guilt behind his eyes. "Most cowboys do, but I don't very much like all the cowboys. Or girls for that matter, ever since we arrived the people have been nothing but hostile towards me and my caravan. It's been a while since a kind soul has crossed our path and I do not wish to risk bad luck on the rest of our journey by not taking care of those who show my girls and I kindness. So I ask you to please reconsider and let me spoil you." Rosalyn returning to her natural voice was very stern but welcoming and kind. She spoke like Dutch did when addressing the gang with a fierce intensity behind her eyes which locked onto his. He fell victim to her gaze once again this time was unable to decline. "Oh alright, you can buy me dinner. Though I'm probably going to need a bath as well to clean up after that little fight your girl started." Arthur added and unhitched his two companions from their post. If he played his cards right, she might even cover all his costs to stay in town for the night and perhaps he could leave with his pockets a little heavier then when he came. "My girls start no fights, but we do finish them I'll explain later. The carriage got stuck in the mud, so everyone already went on foot to the hotel. Why don't you get those two cuties stabled and meet me there?" Rosalyn said and hicked her skirt up to ready herself to trek through the mud. Her boots already stained with two inches of dirt, and they didn't look like good boots to stomp around in through the mud. "Get on." Arthur gestured to Princess. "Really?" She asked gazing at the beautiful white Arabian. "You're wearing expensive clothes. I'll give you a ride." He said and held the lead for Princess towards her. "Is it friendly?" Rosalyn asked and approached the horse. "She's skittish, but with me here she will be alright." He said as Rosalyn walked up to her and took the lead before approaching her cautiously and slowly. Princess swayed away from her at first but relaxing as the Lady pet her neck gently.   "She is beautiful. What's her name." "Princess." "Ah, I get it." She pointed between the two animals and chuckled. "Very cute. Am I to be right to assume this is a rare horse? I don't see many albino white horses roaming around" She asked and hoisted herself up and sat side saddle on the Arabian and held the horn to keep herself steady. Arthur got up onto the Duke who honked very loudly when he was mounted since Arthur was rather heavy. "You could say so, hard to tame though. Probably won't be able to sell her for much if I can't get her to relax." He clicked his teeth and gave the command, and the pair started towards the stable beside the hotel. Most of the ride was spent giving Rosalyn instructions on how to keep Princess settled, with a strange rider on her back and her attempts to ride all ladylike. The horse was left agitated the entire time. Rosalyn almost getting bucked off twice when she tried to lead her to roughly yanking on the reins trying to stop herself from falling off.   "Okay, I think it's time I got off now." Rosalyn's voice was shaky as she struggled with Princess to lead her up to the stable. One of the hands had to run out and grab Princess before she reared and Rosalyn hopped off her quickly as the Horse began to prance more as she escaped. "I should have told you to sit properly, or else she won't respect you."  Arthur was chuckling the whole way down riding gracefully on the back of the Mule who marched with pride now that the love of his life was riding his back. "Well, it's a good thing the hotel isn't far from here. I think walking will be safer." Rosalyn ran out of the stable leaving the horse hand and Arthur to take care of locking them up for the night. They were de-saddled, housed and fed before Arthur left them and headed back out to meet Rosalyn who was in the middle of paying the Stableman. "Give them some extra treats and a bath for me please." She said and gave the gent a kiss on the cheek and an extra 5 dollars. "Yes, indeed Lady Bush." He said and tipped his hat to her running off as Arthur approached. "Would you like to meet my girls now?" Rosalyn asked. "Sure!" Arthur said and took off his hat as they headed into the hotel, he didn't have to rob her she was throwing money around.  What was once a hunting trip to escape the gang's noose, was going to turn into a pretty hefty score if he played this woman right.

[mcyourbiisshowing]

Supernatural MC

Ok I’ve had this idea for a while about the MC in Havenfall is definitely not human. I mean come on! I’ve seen it going around a couple of other blogs and I really support it- so here’s part one of a couple of little fic pieces.

JD  My breath is heaving in my chest as I watch JD struggling to fend off the face-stealer. Nothing seems to be warding it off and a scream escapes my throat as it actually rebounds JD’s fire and flies back towards them. They barely move fast enough to avoid it, but the ball catches onto JD’s wing and they let out a sound of pain. 

“MC run! Get the others.” JD tries to get back on their feet but exhaustion makes their limbs shake violently. I watch in terror as the face-stealer advances towards them in slow, deliberate steps. There’s an aching in my chest as I try to look around at anything to help them. I finally start chucking stones at it, but it ignores the sharp objects pinging off of it. 

My gaze falls on JD, panting violently as they try summon spurts of fire into their hands with little success. Then it’s like the aching turns into something else- a feeling of a cool breeze washes over me and I gasp as something slams into my chest. 

“MC!” JD screams as I stumble, clutching my chest as a new sensation flows through me. Electricity fills my bones. And it zaps at my fingertips. 

Literally. 

I run towards them, skidding to a stop just in front of JD, putting myself firmly between them and the face-stealer. 

“Leave. Us. Alone!” I hold both of my shaking hands outwards- and it’s like purple smoke billows in between them. There’s a small voice in my head- it sounds suspiciously like someone I know. 

‘Throw,’ It whispers. 

And I do. 

The purple smoke lands at the stealers’ feet and wraps around them. I watch it flail and try to find it’s way out but it’s as if the smoke is endless. I grin madly, but turn and grab JD quickly, helping them limp too their bike. For once, they’re soundless and when I plant them at the front they turn to face me - their face a large ‘o’. 

“What the fuck was that?!” 

“I don’t fucking know, now DRIVE.” I hop on the back and JD snaps into action. They kick up the stand and rev the engine before taking off down the laneway in a cloud of dust- leaving the house and the stealer far behind us. 

We finally pull up into the laneway of the bowling alley and JD drags me off the bike and into the alley itself by my hand. I’m shaking and I can see they are too. Razi is at the bar and when he sees both of us his mouth drops. 

“Are you two ok?” He runs out and is right next to us in no time. JD collapses onto one of the chairs- blood dribbling down their cheek from a cut. They start laughing in a maniacal sort of way- burying their face in their hand.

“Call Mac and Diego.” They say shortly. I try to calm my breathing as I sit next to them. JD grabs my hand and squeezes tightly, trying to grind themselves back into reality. It’s soundless in the alley before the doctor and the sheriff burst through the door- concern etched into their face. 

“What’s wrong? Why do MC and JD look like they’ve been in a fistfight?” Mac talks quickly as Diego makes JD tilt their head up to look at the cut. 

“I don’t know, they burst through the door looking like that and haven’t said anything since,” Razi explains, running a hand through his hair. JD shakes out of the doctor’s grip and stands, dragging me to my feet. There’s a grin on their face and their own hand shakes through their hair briefly. 

“We came face to face with the face-stealer and it was way stronger then it was last time we fought it.” JD tries explaining most of the fight quickly. 

“It made my fire rebound and hit me and I was trying to keep it off but then- then MC saved me.” They let out a short laugh. They still sound sort of breathless. 

“How?” Mac’s eyes scan me up and down - noticing the dirt and cuts I got as well.

“I don’t know.” I croak out the answer quietly and JD takes both of my hands and looks at me straight in the eyes. 

“You felt something when that happened, didn’t you?” I nod, trying to focus. 

“Well, imagine that feeling again. Take a deep breath- then exhale.” I close my eyes and try to summon the feeling again- intense panic, fear…..then a breeze.  I breath out slowly and there are sounds of surprise all around me and a whoop from JD. 

I crack my eye’s open and almost jump out of my skin when I see a small ball of purple smoke sitting in the palm of one hand. I poke at it with my other and watch as it dissolves into a tendril and floats around my hand. 

“What the actual fuck,” I breathe, raising my hand and dropping it again just as quickly. The smoke stays. 

“You’re….not actually human?” Razi sounds so confused and I turn around helplessly to stare at them all. All their eyes are wide and I shrug. 

“I mean, like…This has never happened before- trust me I would remember.” 

Mac turns to Razi, “Hey Raz, you have that thing that forces people to reveal themselves don’t you?” I freeze up, not sure if the ‘force’ bit sounds very pleasant. Mac must feel JD’s glare on her and she raises her hands in surrender. 

“I’m just saying, this obviously isn’t exactly her proper form and it doesn’t hurt.” 

“Whatever finds out what the fuck this is I’m down,” I say quickly and Razi presses his lips into a tight frown before sighing.

“You’ll feel like a wash of power. Don’t resist it and just let it flow through. It won’t hurt.” 

I nod and keep my eyes on JD as their eyebrows crease downwards in concern but I just give them a small smile. Razi places his hand on my shoulder and I close my eyes, forcing my body to relax. There’s that feeling of power again, but it’s not the same. It’s more like a rushing river coursing through me then the gentle breeze. 

There’s a sharp, stabbing pain in my back and shoulder blades and I let out a gasp of pain, doubling over briefly before the breeze washes through me again and the pain is gone. 

I straighten slowly, feeling as if there’s an extra weight on my back. When I look at JD- and everyone else for that matter- they’re looking at me with slightly open mouths. 

“What?” 

JD is the first to splutter out an answer. 

“You’re a fucking fae??” 

My eyes widen and I shake my head, craning my neck to try look at my back. JD stops me from spinning with a hand to my shoulder before they snap a quick picture with their phone. They show it to me and I nearly let out a yelp as I look at the bright purple wings that fade into a blue at the tips - red briefly shaded in at the base where the meet my back.

“What the actual fuck?” I try not to be too freaked out but it’s really hard when you realize you have fucking wings. 

“Fae? Like a bloody fairy?” 

JD’s grinning and they shake their head. 

“Think less fairy tale and more awesome fucking spell casters.” JD’s eyes are wide with excitement. They laugh slightly and I can’t help but relax slightly as well, the knot of anxiety loosening in my chest.

“I’ve come across very few fae in my travels.” Diego observes, sweeping over me with a critical eye. I see Mac shaking her head in disbelief. 

“I’ve come across none. Jesus, MC, how come this is only coming to light now?” 

I shrug helplessly, rolling my shoulders as feeling starts to flow into the wings and I twitch slightly. 

“If you’re half-fae, or three quarters, sometimes it takes a while for your powers to surface,” Razi says quickly, “I’ve known one or two who’s one only came to light when their or a loved ones life was in extreme danger.” 

JD looks at Razi, confused, but I’ll take any explanation at this point. But then I realize what that means. 

“My parents were supernatural.” My mouth falls open. There’s briefly silence and Razi lets out a low whistle.

“They were damn good in hiding it as well.” 

“Hey guys, you mind leaving me alone with MC for a few minutes? I just want to see if they can summon up anything.” JD says it quickly and everyone sighs deeply, before bidding their goodbyes for the night altogether. I hear Mac mutter something about the one normal person.

Razi leaves with a doubtful expression, but still heads upstairs. He says something about trying not to blow the place up.

I turn slowly to JD, giving them a small smile as they frown at me. My face falls as their expression remains stoic but it melts quickly. It bleeds into worry. 

“I was so worried. I just saw you stumble and I thought something had got at you.” I feel a thug in my chest and I awkwardly shuffle slightly. 

“I didn’t want to leave you with that….thing and when I saw you struggling there was just this….this feeling and then all this madness happened.” I feel the back of my eyes burn but they don’t get a chance to fall because JD wraps me in a tight hug, squeezing me tightly.

“I’d say don’t do that to me again, but I guess something good came of it.” They laugh and draw back, looking at me and grinning. 

“I have to say, nice transformation.” Their hand comes up to my eye, wiping a traitor tear that had escaped through. They grin wider. 

“Purple eyes and everything. I’d call it ironic if I were you. Especially with the wings.” I blink in confusion, the realization I have purple eyes making me gasp and take my phone out. I open the camera and stare at me, the wide, purple eyed girl blinking slowly back at me. Slowly the irony dawns on me. Pink, purple blue. The bi flag. 

I laugh shortly, before correcting JD.

“But it’s red, not pink.” 

JD thinks hard for a few moments before their face flushes red. They take the end of their shirt and put it next to the wings and letting out a small cough.

“Please tell me it’s not the exact same shade of red as you.” I groan, trying to fight the blush rising up my neck. JD doesn’t answer me, just takes both my hands again. 

“Right before we go, gotta get you back human. Just picture yourself how you usually look.” 

I try do as they say and after a few minutes and a few words of encouragement I succeed. I sigh softly as the weight disappears. JD grins and lets me lean on them as they guide me upstairs. 

“No….spells?” My sentence is interrupted by my yawn and JD shakes their head firmly. 

“Nope. You are way too exhausted for that.” I don’t argue, a different sort of exhaustion pulling at my bones then what I’m used to. 

JD leads me into their bedroom and I rub my temples, getting some sort of alertness back into my system. They look at me, concern ghosting their face. 

“You need anything?”

I shake my head, grinning bashfully. 

“A kiss would be nice.” They grin back at me, before pulling me gently closer to them and tilting my chin up. 

“Who am I to deny you?” I sigh softly against their lips, sagging slightly. I pull away and bury my head in their chest. 

“This….this doesn’t change anything- right?” There’s that anxiety again. I’m almost expecting JD to snap at me, annoyed. They never do, but you know. Thumbs rub small circles into my back and I hear the reassurance in their voice. 

“Not a thing.” 

“Promise?” My voice is small and muffled against their shirt and they move my head so I’m looking at them. There’s some sort of knowing behind their look and I feel my anxiety knot loosen. 

“Promise. Now, c’mon, you need sleep.” I don’t argue and only really take off my shoes before curling up on the seat in the corner. I hear JD laugh, but I’m already dozing off. They sigh, picking me up with only a slight huff. I yelp as they deposit me on the bed, but when they climb in facing me, I relax again - that exhaustion pulling at my bones again.

Their arms coming around me is the last straw for my body to succumb and I fall into a dreamless sleep.

[thehikingviking]

Mt Ritter (13,143 ft) & Banner Peak (12,936 ft) via Ediza Lake

I offered to lead an outing with the California Mountaineering Club, deciding upon a great 3 day backpack of Mt Ritter and Banner Peak from August 24-26th of 2018. I posted the following description to the outings schedule.

The first day we will backpack to Ediza Lake where we will set up camp for two nights. The second day, we will climb the Ritter/Banner saddle. First we will climb the class 2 southern slopes of Banner Peak. Afterwards, we will descend to the saddle and climb the north face of Mt Ritter on the same day! This is very prolonged and exposed class 3 route, so please only request to join if you are experienced and comfortable on such sections. We will descend the southeast glacier route. Sunday we will hike out. Helmets, crampons and ice axes will be required. Group size limited due to permit availability.

I got several responses, as I would expect from such an amazing opportunity. The roster included myself, Asaka, Brian (BJ) Jennings, Patrick Moran, Alex Sapozhnikov and a newcomer from Idaho, Laura Grant. My friend Dean Gaudet coincidentally had a backpacker’s permit for the same weekend, so we invited him to hike alongside us. He only had interest in Mt Ritter and would plan to ascend on his own via the Southeast Glacier. BJ reserved group campsite #1 where Asaka and I planned to spend the night in order to avoid the mandatory shuttle which runs from Minaret Summit between 7am to 7:30pm daily. I proposed for the group to meet at Agnew Meadows Trailhead at 10am the following day.

The next morning I arrived at the trailhead at 10am, but was not ready in time because I had issues storing food in the smaller bear boxes at the trailhead. It was embarrassing to be late as the group leader, but in the end it was my trip and I had the wilderness permits. We did our introductions and headed off down the trail. The first section walked around Agnew Meadows before descending down to the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. After 2.6 miles, we crossed a footbridge and took the left fork in the trail towards Shadow Lake. The next mile would be the hardest part of the day; a series of switchbacks exposed to the sun. We all handled the section well enough.

At the top of the switchbacks we took a lunch break at Shadow Lake. Mt Ritter and Banner Peak were now visible.

Our next checkpoint of Ediza Lake only required a little more than 500 ft of additional gain, allowing us to enjoy our hike along Shadow Creek.

We reached Ediza Lake after 6.4 miles. Smoke from the nearby forest fires obstructed the views, but the surroundings were still fantastic.

We continued to the western side of the lake and set up camp along a creek feeding the lake. Once we were settled, we walked down to the lake as a group where several of us jumped in for a swim.

Weather was warm so we dried off quickly. We were cleansed and refreshed, and with perfect weather, I had high confidence that we would have success the next day.

Afternoon flew by and soon we were making dinner. We agreed to leave at 6am the next morning.

I woke up after a decent sleep and began chewing on one of Asaka’s homemade banana breads. It washed it down with some warm coffee and prepared my gear alongside the tent. We left a little after our starting time but weather was expected to be good. We followed the use trail as it continued up the creek. Mt Ritter and Banner peak came into view shortly after.

We stopped at the base of the two peaks to top off our waters before the big climb.

We said goodbye to Dean who planned to only climb Mt Ritter via the Southeast Glacier. He wasn’t feeling confident so I gave him words of encouragement. We then aimed for the class 2 scree field behind the snow field.

Some people stayed high on the class 2 portion of the route. I found this loose and tedious so I chose a class 3 variant on solid rock. The Minarets stood to the south.

We reached the snowfield below the Ritter Banner Col. My heart was pumping after a good warm up.

We stopped to put on crampons and take out our ice axes. I made sure everyone know what they were doing and we began up the snow.

We eyed the steep snow couloir which led to the saddle, however the conditions were icy enough to create concern. While the probability of slipping on such a section was low, I felt the consequence was high enough. We bypassed the couloir by deciding to climb the rocks to the left to the saddle.

We stepped out of our crampons and scrambled left until finding a class 3 chute. The section was a bit more precarious than I expected with loose rocks and water running down sections of the climbing route. We were very careful here, and I wonder if taking the snow chute would have been safer after all.

We all managed to safely make it to the saddle which was a big relief to yours truly.

After a short break, with the exception of Patrick who climbed Banner Peak previously, everyone made their way to the top of Banner Peak at their own pace.

It was a straightforward class 2 slog. The key to avoiding any difficult climbing was to traverse to the left until reaching the chute which led to the summit. Ascending the peak allowed me to study the northeast face of Mt Ritter.

It didn’t seem like such a wall was only class 3, but I had to trust previous reports. I tried to stay in between all members of the group. Laura, Asaka and BJ were in front of me and Alex brought up the rear. 

I scrambled up the final section to find the others waiting for me at the top.

Laura asked if I had seen her phone on my way up. She dropped it somewhere along the way. Unfortunately, I did not see anything.

To the east were Garnet Lake and San Joaquin Mountain.

To the south were Volcanic Ridge and the Minarets.

To the southwest was Mt Ritter.

To the west was the Clark Range in Yosemite National Park.

To the northwest was Mt Lyell, the high point of Yosemite.

To the north were Kuna Peak, Koip Peak and Thousand Island Lake.

We began to head down and on our way we found Alex still making his way up. He seemed to be struggling, which gave me cause for concern considering the main climb was still to come. He did however find Laura’s phone along the way; very lucky indeed. As a thank you, Laura did a good job of guiding him up the last portion of the mountain.

I admired the glacier heading down to Lake Catherine back at the pass. It’s a rare sight to see one in the Sierra.

We now focused on the main course. We all put our crampons back on and made our way up the steep snow field. Ice ax in uphill hand, I repeated to everyone. The section was still a bit icy, so I urged everyone to be extra cautious.

We climbed almost to the top of the snowfield then climbed onto the rock to our right. I could for see the group splitting, so I had Asaka lead the route up the Northeast Face with the others while I stayed back with Alex for the time being.

The beginning was very moderate class 3. I was afraid of rockfall danger with our large group, but no rocks fell on my head that day. Things got scary for a while because Patrick got too far ahead and we couldn’t find him. It was getting stressful to handle such a large group with different levels of endurance and experience.

I was very patient with Alex who seemed very unsure of his route-finding abilities. His climbing abilities were actually quite good, but he had a propensity to ask where to go often, even if the route was obvious.

The crux of the climb was the final 30-40 feet of the face. I would rate this as old school class 3. There could be a serious penalty with a fall here, but we all made it up with no incident.

Now we were on the ridge. We were moving very slow, but weather was great.

The others were making a habit of getting too far out ahead. Luckily the group was experienced, but I still was responsible for making sure everyone stayed safe. I went back and forth several times between Alex and the others. Apparently Patrick spotted Dean on the summit. I was very glad he made it to the top.

We finally reached the final ramp section which I was looking forward to, but things were getting out of hand. In the front, Patrick was yelling for me asking which way to go. In the back, Alex was also yelling, asking for me to direct him. Worst of all, Asaka somehow accidentally dropped her backpack off the face of the peak!

I screamed for everyone to remain calm. I could only deal with one issue at a time. I told Patrick to sit tight and I went back to direct Alex. Then after scolding Asaka, I carefully down climbed the face of the peak to retrieve the backpack. It was around 200 feet of very loose class 3, but I was able to reach it. I had to be equally careful on the climb back up.

Safely back on the main route, things were again under control. I studied the route ahead and advised Patrick to climb the rocks on the left of the chute. This took him to the top and the others followed. 

This deposited us right next to the summit. Dean had already left. Soon after we were all celebrating a 100% success rate.

To the northwest were Mt Florence, Mt Lyell, Rodgers Peak and Mt Davis.

To the north were Kuna Peak, Parker Peak and Banner Peak.

To the east was San Joaquin Mountain.

To the southeast were Volcanic Ridge and the Minarets.

To the southwest was Neglected Peak, a rightfully named sub peak which I briefly considered investigating. 

I found an abandoned hiking pole which I claimed as booty. After signing the register, we began our descent down the standard route towards the Southeast Glacier.

The group began to split up again. I stayed back with Alex while the others eagerly went at their own pace. Asaka was nice enough to stay back with me and I enjoyed the company.

We reached the Southeast Glacier which was very cool. I didn’t bother to put on my crampons and simply walked down the gradual slopes. There would be no crevasse danger here.

I had another freak out when I lost sight of those ahead of me. Alex was struggling on this slippery section, but I had to run ahead to manage the group the best I could. It was like herding cattle. I ran towards a rocky overlook and saw the others heading towards a cliff dead end. I yelled and emphatically pointed to the right and they got the hint. I then waited for Asaka, frustrated at the current situation. When Alex joined us, we continued down the route together.

I told Alex and Asaka to continue on together while I stayed back and handled my business. As soon as Asaka dropped out of sight, I entered the squat position and did my best impersonation of Johnny Bench. A minute later she reappeared into the line of vision, unaware of my vulnerable state. I watched as she walked down the rock slabs, hoping the whole time that she wouldn’t turn around. Luckily she didn’t.

The last few hundred feet took a toll on me. I tend to save my knees by descending fast; almost as if I’m performing a controlled fall. With Alex I was forced to descend slowly. I told Asaka to run ahead to camp and join the others.

I was relieved to finally make the trail. I met the others back at camp and everyone was very satisfied with the day’s effort. It took me and Alex 12 hours to climb both peaks and return to camp.

The next day the smoke had cleared. It was a beautiful morning.

The hike out was easy and enjoyable.

At Shadow Lake, Patrick recognized an old friend paddle boarding off in the distance. It was a bikini clad young lady. What are the chances of that?

We made it back to the cars in one piece. Afterwards we had lunch in Mammoth Lakes. Everyone seemed to have a great time. It was a great trip led by a very strong leader, if I must say so myself.

[bike42]

Days 5&6 Wednesday and Thursday August 12&13, 2020

As we get further into the river, we’ve dropped in elevation so the evenings have become progressively warmer, but still cool. The weather has been perfect, although the deeper we get into the canyon, the less sunshine we get on the river.

Wednesday morning we had biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs with bacon and Mike made savory pancakes using the left over quinoa and herbs. Jessie led us through another yoga session, and what an amazing connection to the earth that was. We were in a beautiful camp, where the Shoshone Indians (Tukuduka) had lived for an estimated 10,000 years. They’d spend the summers higher in the mountains hunting Big Horn Sheep, and the winters at camps like this where they lived in Pit Houses - holes about 8 feet deep, with logs and hides for the roof.

We set out on the river, Jeff and Me in duckies following Jessie. Just after starting out on Wednesday, we passed the Big Creek confluence that signals the start of the Impassable Canyon. The canyon is so named because with the steep vertical granite walls that rise from the river, the trail couldn’t be built along the river. The canyon is pristine, and one of the deepest gorges in North America, they say even deeper than the Grand Canyon.

We had a few water stops, filling our bottles from a cold spring, and saw a few waterfalls that must be spectacular during high water. I was glad lunch was on a sunny beach again as after a few hours of sitting in the water and having cold shots of water over the bow as we churn through the rapids, I needed to bake in the sun and warm up.

After lunch, we stopped at Veil Falls, the most magical moment of the trip for me. We hiked up to a cavern, and noticed the green oasis which signifies water, and we heard water, but just saw a tiny bit leaching through the cavern. Sadie led Jeff & me and Her mom down a trail to a large rock and told us to lay down. From there, we saw this magical mist coming from the top of the cavern. The wind created a migrating curtain of mist, swirling down towards us. It was amazing how with the sun hitting the mist, you could follow a single drop all the way down. I laid there thinking this was the most magical experience I’d ever had in nature, and then I could hear M&Mc singing and playing one of my favorite songs of theirs ... “You Take Me Somewhere,”. It’d been in my head all week and whenever I hear it from now on, I’ll be transported back to that magical moment.

We probably paddled another hour, with some really fun rapids. Jessie really freaked us out a few times with her seriousness as she was describing where the “ducky eating holes” were and which side of critical rocks we needed to be on. By now, Jeff and I were feeling pretty comfortable with the tiny inflatable kayaks, and even when we weren’t able to hit the exact line we wanted to, we were agile enough to go with the flow, not tip over when we slammed into rocks, and most of all, keep paddling. On occasion, one of us would unintentionally spin in the middle of the rapids and shoot through a hole backwards (like the hotdog kayakers do) - always worked out anyway and we awarded ourselves extra style points! On the last rapids before camp, Jessie instructed us to hug the right side but not get stuck in the shallows, - and then a big paddle to the camp. She warned us not to get sucked into the rushing water along the wall or we’d shoot right by camp. I watched later as Onne did just that, whooping with glee as he shot by in the fast water. I didn’t see how hard his paddle was back to camp however!

Campsite was on a shelf overlooking the rapids and the imposing rock wall across the river. After we landed, we watched two other groups come through the rapids - it was mainly lots of water as the river narrows around the corner, so fun to run but they all sure screamed and got soaked.

The ledge was small so our tents were huddled together, we had our beverage and snack table nearby as well as the fire pit. The kitchen was set up down the hill on a gravel bar. The only problem with the site was the wind whipping through the canyon made it tough to have music on the last night. Those of us that were interested huddled close to James and Kort in order to hear.

Another fabulous dinner - hor d’oeuvres were baked Brie, main course was steak, salad and potatoes with brownies for dessert. The last night was a little somber and reflective. Sadie read us a poem about the river that was quite stirring. After dinner, we gathered near the river for group photos, the guides were getting squirrelly - probably thinking ahead to dropping us off Thursday and many of them are starting with a new group in a day or two!

The cohesiveness of our guide team made this trip really special. They’re all talented with different skills and personalities, and the way they worked together was unusual I’d guess. They seemed to easily share the work, and it seemed ok with the others if one sat and visited with one of us for an extended time. From time to time they’d mess with one another - paddle splashing, or once Sadie leaped to another boat to try to throw one of the guys in - didn’t work, but it happened so fast I was shocked!

The meals they prepared were amazing - day six they were still producing fresh tomatoes and avocados from somewhere in the depths of their magic boxes!

As we prepared for Thursday morning, Jessie told us how crazy the takeout spot can get, so we had the goal to be first group to the there. So coffee was ready while it was still dark, and breakfast was cold but still fabulous (our favorite Greek Gods yogurt with granola everyday, plus lox and bagels today). People packed up efficiently and we were on the river by 8 am.

No one in the duckies today - I think they wanted to move fast, and we had some serious rapids today. It was cold when we started; Jeff and I wore our rain jackets, which is the only thing that saved me from hypothermia. Paula, Jeff and I sat on the front of Jessie’s boat

Really fun rapids - we got stuck again and spun around and around, but finally needed a bump from Taylor’s raft to become dislodged.

As we came out of the canyon, the sun finally hit the river. As soon as we’d warm up though, we’d slam through the next rapids and get soaked again! After about three hours, we reached the confluence with the Main Salmon River, which had a road running along it. What an odd concept to see cars and buses whizzing by. The road goes just beyond our take out at Cache Bar, to where people who are running the Main put in. One of the coolest parts of being in the wilderness was the sounds: water, wind, birds, an occasional plane. What we didn’t hear: traffic, cellphones, unpleasant blasts of music, the sound of electrical appliances and TV sets. As I saw the first car, I was sad that our serenity was coming to an end.

Mark had successfully landed our sweep boat at the take out. We watched the sweep from another company get up against a rock at the landing and nearly go down the next rapids. Mark ran to help, and they winched it to their truck and brought it back to the ramp.

We unloaded and changed into dry clothes, then said goodbye to the guys who were staying to load and unrig the rafts so they could do it all over again.

Sonja, our bus driver, filled us in on what’s been going on the past six days: Joe Biden picked a VP running mate, earthquake in the Sawtooth Mointains near Stanley, and other Stanley gossip that was only of interest to Jessie and Sadie. I wasn’t quite ready for reality just yet, but you do wonder when you’re completely unplugged if you’ve missed something significant with an event or the health of a family member.

We’d seen a mom and baby sheep one afternoon on the river, but from the bus we saw several who even posed for photos, as well as several mule deer.

We had a box lunch on the bus, and stopped in North Fork where we said goodbye to Mark and Mary (they’d had their van shuttled there to shorten their drive home) and Sadie (who’s fiancé met her there). We did some shopping in their little store and ordered Huckleberry milkshakes which were amazing. Three hours back to Stanley, I read and dozed and it felt like we were back at the warehouse in no time.

Back to the hotel for a glorious shower, and then most of us met for a final dinner and some stories. As usual, we lucked out with great fellow travelers, as typically like-minded people do adventures such as this.

While this was a very special trip, it was different from many of our adventures. We were pretty busy and active most of the time, and with so many others it was difficult carve out downtime and for me that’s often where the magic of getting away happens. I had several moments out of my comfort zone (jumping from the rock, solo kayaking through class IV rapids) and I feel good about that. I really enjoyed the music on this trip. I could have listened to James and Kort for hours each evening. Their harmonies, the easy style with which they play multiple instruments - and in such a magnificent setting. Just wow. Above all, our wonderful team of guides!

We donned our masks and have gone back to civilization and the creature comforts and life that I love so much: our house, our kids, our cat, WiFi, our bathroom with it’s flushing toilet - shower and soaking tub, our work and my garden. But a little piece of my soul will never be the same after the beauty and the inspirational moments along the Middle Fork.

[manateeinaustralia-blog]

Perth

First off, a big shout out to Aunt No for being my fairy godmother all the time and especially for this trip! Love you girlfriend!

I stayed in Northbridge, a kind of hipster up and coming neighborhood with cool restaurants and bars. It was a 5 minute walk into downtown Perth. Perth had a beautiful mix of 19th century architecture and modern buildings with a big city divide of boarded up building a few hundred yards from Tiffany & Co. and Chanel. The best thing was the street art. 

Saturday morning, I walked to the city to get breakfast and ate at La Veen. Then I walked around the city to explore and found cool shops and alleyways. I went to one shop and the girl working there was around my age. She asked where I was from and I said Chicago and she said she loved that musical and I was like “Oh haha yeah that’s a good one!” (I’ve never seen it) but then she kept coming over and dramatically doing quotes and impressions from the musical and I had already committed to pretending like I knew what she was talking about so I was like “haha ya” and then awkwardly left and never returned. One street called London Court reminded me of Diagon Alley and I walked through there and got some gelato. 

Then I went to the art museum back in Northbridge for THE HEATH LEDGER EXHIBIT. The museum is free and so was the exhibit and I had so much free time so I walked around the other exhibits pretending like I cared but then I heard Heath’s speech as the Joker when he sends in a video to the news and says “LOOK AT ME” and I got chills and ran upstairs to check it out.

It was amazing. He was from Perth so they have this exhibit for a few months. I learned that he was a director and a photographer as well as an actor. His photographs, costumes, scripts with notes, awards, and some personal objects were on display and they were all so interesting. 

After that, I grabbed some groceries, ate fettuccine alfredo, and watched tv! 

Sunday morning, I studied a little bit and then went to Cottesloe Beach. It’s the Indian Ocean, which I’ve never been to, and it was beautiful and really clear. I ate a little picnic and read a book and then got a beer and studied before going back. Back at the hostel, I talked with a girl from the Netherlands. She’s staying here for maybe a year or two. She surprised me by saying that the homelessness and racism in Australia was much worse than she could have imagined. There was more homelessness in Perth than in the Gold Coast, but unfortunately I haven’t noticed much if any of either of those things because I am too used to what happens in the US. 

Monday morning, I had booked a walking tea tour. It was fun seeing all of the people on their way to work and then I met my guide, Emily. She was from Adelaide. There was only one other person on the tour, Elaine from London. Our tour was really great; we grabbed tea and walked around learning about the city and explored downtown. They were really fun to talk with and I learned a lot. We grabbed gelato and hung out by the Swan River. After the tour, I went back to a place that Emily said had really good dim sum and Elaine was there so we hung and talked for a while longer. Later, I booked my tour and bike for Rottnest the next day, and facetimed Aunt No and Maria. 

Tuesday, I booked the 8:30 ferry to Rottnest Island. On the way, I grabbed a croissant and it was fantastic. On the ferry, we passed some of the most expensive houses in Australia and the most expensive house in Australia (around $70 million). Like he had a Ferrari collection and multiple boats and a yacht that were somehow in a garage carved into the cliffside? and his daughters and their families live in their mansions on the same property? Okay. After I grabbed my bike, I started along on a trail. Side note, the only vehicles allowed on the island are a few tour buses and one train, so everyone rides bikes. I definitely felt like Squidward in that one episode.

So I made my way along this trail and got to an awesome look out point and ate lunch and then within the next hour or so I realized I lost my bike key :) yay! So I went further up along the coast and took the same way back to look for it and ya didn’t find it and my lock was wrapped around my bag so they had to cut the lock. I don’t know why I’m allowed to go outside sometimes. But anyways the island was absolutely stunning and the weather was beautiful. 

It is also home to the world’s happiest animal, the famous quokkha. They are precious and super friendly and all over the island. Look at their little faces!

Their rat tails are what actually named the island. People saw them and said  hey these are huge rats, let’s call it “Rat’s nest Island” and then they were like nah but we’re too lazy to change it completely so now its “Rottnest Island”. I also saw a black lizard that looked like Dart from Stranger Things. Later, I took a break to take in the views and eat an orange and ended up yelling at/ threatening a seagull that was tryna fuck with me. On the ferry ride back, people were extra. So the ferry was also kind of a speedboat because we were going really fast at some parts and then when we were crashing into waves, the boat was rocking. Yeah a little surprising but literally the only thing this company does it take people to Rottnest Island and back on ferries multiple times a day so I’m like yeah they know what they are doing and I’m not gonna die. So I hung out and read a book. Too bad people on my boat were straight up screaming. Not necessary! If they could’ve kept balance and stood up, I know some soccer moms or grumpy elderly people would have gotten up and complained. The staff knows how fast they can drive the boat and not flip over. Also it’s a ferry and it won’t flip. Also calm the fuck down and let me read. 

Anyways, after that I went to one of the hidden bar/restaurants I wanted to find: Alfred’s pizza. There’s a London telephone booth door that leads underground to the restaurant. The vibe was super cool: Guns and Roses meets an Italian grandma’s kitchen meets The Nightmare Before Christmas meets pizza. 

That night, I went to go see Juno at a rooftop theater. So I knew the address of the place and found it easily, but when I got there all I saw was a boarded up Chinese restaurant and I was like hmm okay. So I’m walking up and down the street looking at the roofs for a movie screen and then someone at a restaurant next door told me to go through the parking garage next door and go up the stairs. Great! So I climb six flights of stairs, get to the roof and realize I’m on the other side of the theater and it has a chained gate and I need to go around. So I go back to the staircase and all of the doors are locked but the one on the ground floor. Then I go to the other side of the garage and straight up get trapped in that staircase for a minute and I’m freaking out and sweating and swearing and negotiating with God that I’ll be a nicer person if he just lets me not die in this staircase. Finally, I found the entrance to the theater just in time for the movie and I actually had a great time and spoiler alert I lived and everything is okay now. After that, I facetimed my babies Lo and J, talked with a French dude about cuisine around the world, and ate tim tams in bed!

Wednesday morning, I was up, got a croissant, and went to the library to study for finals cause #thegrind #responsible. I spent the day hanging out there and enjoyed the view of the city from the terrace. That night I took the red eye flight back to Perth, drank free wine and ate cheese balls and slept like a baby. 

Overall, Perth was so so lovely and I enjoyed being able to travel by myself. I just finished my finals today so only a week til I see the fam!! xoxo

[nancyxvalentine]

Arguments, Atmosphere & Accomplishments Traveling in groups can be a blast, but I would be completely inauthentic if I told you our entire trip was peaches and cream…When we woke up in the morning, we were all overly tired after enduring multiple nights of restless sleep. Dan graciously drove Kaitlyn and myself to our car rental pick up and I, being the imperfect human that I am, got into an argument with Dan. We left each other on a sour note and I couldn’t help but saturate my thoughts that morning with our topic of grievance. With that being said, we split up guys/girls for the day and Kaitlyn and I met a super cool car rental rep that asked us if we knew of the Minneapolis hip hop duo called “Atmosphere.” My eyes LIT UP and we began to discuss Minnesota local music. By the end of our exchange, the rep ended up with a list of MN music to check out and we walked away with free GPS & in-car wifi: BAM! I’ve never driven in a foreign country before, and after watching Dan and James white knuckle it through a couple of stints through the country-side, I was a bit apprehensive to get behind the wheel. We were assigned a Cactus, which was super cool, but I’ve never driven anything newer than my mom’s 2009 Toyota Matrix, so trying to figure out the 3-button mechanism was a bit trying (there was literally 3 buttons: Drive, Reverse & Neutral). Eventually we got things going (I say “we” because Kaitlyn and I BOTH had to try extra-hard to figure the mechanisms of this vehicle out) and made our way to Vifilsfell, a mountain we researched online the day before that was only 20 minutes outside of Reykjavik. Well, we found the correct location, but the end of the road led us to a gravel pit. Thankfully there was an Icelandic construction worker on site that graciously shared with us that Vifilsfell is un-hikable during the winter months and we altered our destination to Bláfjöll a local skiing destination that also advertised a really cool hiking path. Well, it turns out Bláfjöll does NOT have a hikable path during the winter months either, which we found out at an inopportune time. We make it to the ski resort, but immediately turned around because the roads were SO. FRICKEN. SCARY. Let me paint this picture for you: to get to Bluesfafell, we drove on a road made entirely out of ice twisting and winding through some beautiful, yet treacherous cliffs and were greeted by snowdrifts that were probably stupid to try to plow through in our 2-wheel drive vehicle. You know what was even more stupid? The snow storm we had to drive through on our expedition leaving Bluesfafell. Thank the Lord for studded tires and a patient friend. I cannot recall a time where I was more anxious. Our speed? Less than 25 km/hr. After we made it safely to the end of the drive, I began breathing again and we made our way to the Hot River Hike. There’s a place about 45 minutes from Reykjavik where some natural hot springs meet up with a cold mountain snow-melt river that few tourists make it to because the hike it about an hour in. Well, Kaitlyn and I were NOT about to waste the rest of the sunlight that day after the morning we endured, so we parked, shifted our packs and began our trek. I can see where this hike wouldn’t be too difficult in the warmer months, however, because of the cold wind blowing and the few people who had hiked the trail before us that afternoon, the hike was actually pretty challenging. It felt like we were hiking up and up and up and up for a little too long, but once we got to the opposite side of the mountain, we stripped off our outer shells and embraced the fresh air. When we finally got to the hot river (after about 1 hour and 15 minutes of hiking) we enjoyed our sandwiches on the boardwalk. On the map there was what looked like another hot spring that was larger about 4.5 kilometers away, so we strapped our packs back on and began heading that way. After about .5 kilometers, we realized that the trail leading to that hot spring was not pre-forged this winter, so we shifted our course and followed one that was. Eventually we found ourselves at the mouth of a couple of hot springs where we saw natural boiling water under a bridge and a series of hot springs that were continually letting off sulfuric steam. We continued a little further and were pleasantly surprised to find a waterfall tucked away inside of the mountains! The colors at this location were UNREAL. The rocks donned yellows and reds that were so vibrant and pigmented, I wished I could paint with them! We took our time enjoying the views, but decided to head toward the hot springs again. At one point, Kaitlyn looked up at the top of the mountain and saw a trail marker and exclaimed: “I want to go up there!” I looked at where she was pointing and got filled with a bit of anxiety. The trail that led to this point looked like it was forged by a single individual and the hike looked like it would involve a lot of switchbacks on questionably stable rock face. Being the opportunistic person that I am, I couldn’t let this experience pass, so I said yes and led the way (not because I am more capable than she, but because my legs are significantly longer). It felt like we had to take breaks at every single switchback simply because of how vertical this hike was. It was mentally challenging to make it to the top, and once we hit the half-way point, I began to think about how stupid we were for trying to take on this challenge. Watching Kaitlyn follow in the steps I forged before her somehow turned into the motivation I needed to keep going though, so I covered my face with my Buff and just kept going. When I was a few inches from the top, I caught a huge wind of energy and launched myself into finishing hard. At the top I turned around to look at the mountain range below us, I was immediately filled with an overwhelming amount of emotion. Kaitlyn and I looked at each other and shouted: “Holy Shit! We just did that!” We soaked up the realization of our resiliency for a while before making our way back down. About 1/4 of the way down I realized that our “trail” was not as “safe” as I had made it up in my mind to be. When I looked directly below us, I saw the 212 degree F hot spring and it donned on me that if we took a single wrong step, we could snowball our way right into boiling water. At this point I sat on my but and “sledded” down about half of the path. Kaitlyn followed suit. Even though my wool socks filled with snow because of that choice, I felt a lot more at ease about the trek down because I felt more “grounded.” After feeling incredibly accomplished, we felt like we earned our time at the hot river and changed into our swimming attire. (There were designated changing areas, but they weren’t exactly 4-walled rooms, so I ended up “mooning” about 20 people.) We began at the cooler temperate end of the river and slowly made our way higher. We reached the point where the hot springs meet the cold mountain river and quickly decided that we wouldn’t be able to handle going any closer to the hot springs (despite seeing many people about 3 pools further up than us looking like lobsters). We enjoyed our time and began looking through the rocks for a couple of gems to commemorate the experience. I found an agate and Kaitlyn found some really cool sulfur-stained white rocks. We wanted to make it back to Reykjavik before sun-down, so we got dressed and began the trek back to the parking lot. We were surprised at how not-cold we were getting dressed again and were happy with how short of a time it took us to hike back (due to the fact that the majority of the path was now down hill). We headed straight to the Saga Viking museum to meet up with James and Dan (who spent their day at the Whale Museum and a couple of other places around the city). Saga featured a 35 minute recorded self-guided tour through an incredible space. There were about 17 stops along the tour that all featured incredibly life-like human sculptures in period specific scenes. At one point I FREAKED OUT because one I could have sworn I saw one of the humanoids move. Turns out, I wasn’t wrong - one of the humanoids was built to move mechanically as though he was breathing and it reminded me a little too much of WestWorld (another Netflix reference). The guys stopped at a grocery store called Bonus to grab frozen pizzas while Kaitlyn and I make a trip to an Asian take-out place called “Wok-On.” After dinner, James headed to a nearby hot pool and Kaitlyn spent some time reading and journaling while Dan and I spent some time hashing out our differences, apologizing and reconciling. Arguments with people you care about really suck, but I’m glad we were able to get on the other side of it and I think we’re both better for it. After peace-making with Dan, Kaitlyn and I returned our rental car. Dan picked us up and we met James back at the house. We game-planned for Day 6 and crawled right into bed to catch some much-needed heavy Zzz’s.