If Earth had 100 people

http://www.miniature-earth.com/me_english.htm

Pretty interesting.

ASB Uruguay Spring 2009

"Bienvenidos a Uruguay" 

Hey everybody

So the next big trip on site for me (and a group of ten other awesome travelers) is the Alternative Spring Break trip to Montevideo, Uruguay. I am leaving tomorrow, Friday 13 at midnight or something. We stop in Panama City for a layover and then we are on our way to Montevideo. When I say we, I am referring to the group of 11 that is going down to Montevideo...just for some added clarification there. Anyway, in Montevideo we will be building a home with a family and 20 other students from around the country. The home will be for a family in a poor area of Montevideo. Besides doing the actual work in the community, we will also have an opportunity to get to know a bunch of people our age who live in a Jewish community in Uruguay (also very cool). We hopefully will have some time to site see...explore a little bit, go to Punta del Este (a beautiful beach about any hour away from Montevideo). Overall, the excursion should be awesome!!!!

I am extremely excited about this trip and I am going to attempt to update the blog a few times while i am down by writing and uploading photos. 

For those of you going on vacation, have fun and safe travels. And for everyone else, get out! 

Safe travels and happy trails

-David

Death Valley

Death Valley Trip Review 

Zabriske's Point 

Yo yo guys

The Death Valley Trip turned out to be a great success. I really could not have been much happier...it was a great way to start off the semester for SCoutfitter overnight trips! The scenery in Death Valley was breathtaking. Because the landscape is so barren, the lighting is crucial to getting the full dramatic effect. Our first full day in Death Valley started at 5:30 am: we woke up early to go to Zabriske's point to watch the sun rise. It was a chilly, windy, morning as we watched Telescope Peak, the 11,000 ft. peak above Death Valley, slowly be lit up by the rising sun from the East. The sunrise was one of the most dramatic i have ever seen, especially with the Badlands area below us being lit up all sorts of different yellows and oranges by the sun. After the sunrise, we cleaned up camp and made our way out to begin seeing the sites in Death Valley 

Here is a list of what we saw: 

Badwater Basin (282 feet below sea level)

Natural Bridge Canyon 

Devil's Golf Course

The Artist's Palette 

A Hike from Golden Canyon up to the Red Rock Cathedral and then down Gower Gulch to exit back into the valley. 

We watched the sunset as we exited Gower Gulch...an extremely dramatic sunset indeed. I felt like i was in another time and very far away from any civilization we know today...Death Valley is barren and foreign. It is really like no place i have been before. 

That night we made camp and enjoyed delicious pasta and some bomb eggless cheese cake. After Dinner we did a night hike into the petrified dunes surrounding camp...watched the stars and constellations for a while and than headed back to go to bed. 

The Next day we woke up...made breakfast burritos for breakfast and than got on the road to go to Salt Creek to See the Pup Fish ( a fish only found in Death Valley).

After Salt Creek we made our way to some gigantic sand dunes. We trekked around the dunes for a while and brought sleds with so we could slide down the 400 foot or so sand dunes. It was a blast. 

The Drive out of the park was spectacular. We exited from the North end of the park, going through the Panimant Mountains and than dropping into Owens Valley. We saw the entire eastern Sierra Nevada Mountain range from the top of the Panimant Mountains and the view was just insane. 

Overall I would give the trip to Death Valley an A+++. We had an awesome time and I love seeing new places. It was great! 

Here are some pictures

Sun Salutations at sunrise 

Badwater Basin...gettin gnarly 

Natural Bridge Canyon 

The Guys at Badwater Basin

Devil's Golf Course

The Artist's Palette 

Charge it!

Gower Gulch 

Dune Mobbing 

Until Next time

-David 

This Weeks Trip: Death Valley

Yo everybody, 

Tomorrow I am going to Death Valley for the weekend. I am really excited to go! I have never been to Death Valley for one and also because of all the precipitation we have gotten this winter, the wild flowers should be in full bloom. I a plan on giving a full review of our trip when i get back....pictures and everything!

happy trails

-david 

Preacher Bleeper of a Blooper

Can Ya Dig?

A video that everyone should watch. This made me laugh really hard. I wonder if he still has a job?

Ganja Ganja Ganja 

Mid Morning Tea Sesh

Darjeeling Leaf Tea

I just opened my tin of new Taylors of Harrogate Darjeeling Leaf Tea...and i must say i am stoked. After a long night of drinking makers mark a little tea in the morning was the perfect thing to get my day started and clear the hangover. Darjeeling Leaf Tea is considered the "Champagne" of teas and is usually brewed in the afternoon. The Tea leaves are grown in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains and because of the cool climate, altitude, and rich soil the tea has its muscatel flavor. 

I would highly suggested trying a cup of fresh Darjeeling Tea. It really made my morning. 

I'll leave you guys with some nice pictures of the Himalayas (I want to go there) 

Mount Kanchenjunga seen from Tiger Hill 

Tea Garden

Fresh Bud of Tea Plant 

Multiverse