Hiking in Dinosaur Provincial Park

Last Saturday, a group of us sacrificed our Saturday morning sleep-in to hit the road bright and early. Destination: Dinosaur Provincial Park. Five of us crammed into Geoff and Evelyn's small little Accord for the 2.5 hour drive down to the park.

Two pee stops, a breakfast stop at McDonalds, an evil look from a couple in a van, and several iPod tunes later, we arrived at the park for our 10am guided hike. We met up with a friend of Evelyn's, Brian, who works as an interpreter at the park and gave up a lazy morning to hike with us through Camel's End Coulee. There's a reason why they start the hikes in the morning, and by the end of it was glad for our early start. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, the badlands get incredibly hot during the day...it is a desert, after all.

The hike follows a meandering coulee (a temporary waterway that is usually dry). It was a little muddy due to a fair bit of rainfall the week before, which for me, added to the fun. The views were spectacular and the guide had lots of interesting info. It's amazing to see the plant and wildlife that manages to survive in such a hostile environment.

After the hike, we headed back to the interpretive center to have lunch (and ice cream!), wander around, and catch one of Brian's shows. Then we piled back into the car, which by this time was a wee bit warm....both us and the car. We finished off with supper at Peter's Drive-Thru....mmmm....burgers, onion rings, and milkshakes...the best! Then we all made our ways home, completely exhausted. A great day.

(For those of you who check out Evelyn's blog, the following photos may seem familiar. Yep, they're Eveyn's photos (thanks, Ev!). I did take some of my own, but my lap top is not being very internet-friendly at the moment so I'm using my Dad's computer and, hence, Evelyn's pictures)

The Badlands

Camal Hoodoo

The Crew: Justin, Evelyn, Geoff, Brian, Myself, Jenny

Dino-Head

I'm Baacckkk! - and tagged, too.

Well, I'm not really sure if anyone checks this blog anymore (if you do, post a comment, any random thing you want, so I have some sort of idea who still sees this). Regardless, I'm going to try (try being the main word....I've always got great intentions) to do this more regularly. So....what's been happening to me?

Well, the big news is that I've finally found someplace to put my 7 years, 2 degrees, and $$$$$$$ (okay, it was my parent's money....I know, I know.....spoiled white suburban rich girl) to good use. Yep. I've got a job. Hurray!

I'm working for a company called TERA Environmental Consultants. It's a mid-sized (~90 people) consulting company that specializes in pipelines. So basically my company is hired by oil and gas companies to conduct any environmental studies and to write reports that are needed, by law, to apply for anything related to pipeline construction and maintenance. It's pretty cool and I'm going to learn a TONNE about the industry. The people are also really nice and it's a very open and relaxed corporate culture. Everyone's door is always open....which is nice because I don't have to worry about going through "proper" channels to get information. Plus, I get to do some field work when the weather's good which will be fun.

Hmmm....what else is new.....went to Geof and Evelyn (Tanaka)'s wedding 2 weeks ago, which was really beautiful and I think everyone had a good time. Congrats to the new couple!

Went on the annual white water rafting trip at the beginning of July...Kicking Horese river...kick ass as always. Although we all got eaten alive by these tiny bugs (noceum's maybe?) and looked like we had the measles for 2 weeks after. Itchy as hell! Richard came this year with his friend Faizal for the first time and I think they had a good time.....even though one of the chambers of our raft decided to deflate (right where Richard and Michelle were sitting) half way through the longest and biggest series of rapids! Extra adventure for our money!

Went to the farm for the August long weekend (last weekend) to visit family. I had a really good time and it was nice to see everyone. Ate far too much, played cards, and took home some fresh veggies from the garden. Good times.

Hmm...that's about it.

I was tagged by 2 other bloggers (Kalen and Evelyn...don't worry, I didn't forget!). So here are my 6 weird things about myself (although there are so many more than that!):

1. I'm scared of mirrors in dark rooms. (Probably from playing "'Bloody Mary" too many times as a kid at sleep overs)
2. I always sit on the bathroom counter when I brush my teeth.
3. I love to polka (what can I say, I'm half Ukranian)
4. When I was a kid, I was part of a club of girls that had imaginary pet unicorns. I named mine "Rainbow".
5. I love the feel of flannel against my face (which is why I have two sets of flannel sheets I use in the winter).
6. I like to sing in the shower...it's got great accoustics!

There it is....for all the world on the internet to see. All the people I know who blog (just a small little group) have already been tagged. So I'm going to tag some others....post it in my comments. Brandi, Trudy, Melanie, Tracy, Richard, Stephanie: Tag, your it! Post 6 weird things about yourself either on your blog or in my comments and then tag 6 more.

Cheers all!