Oh No…Now I’m the Girl Who Writes About Her Cat

A week passes incredibly quickly when you are living life on the road, experiencing new sights every day with the love of your life. A week passes agonizingly slow when you are sedentary, alone with your thoughts, bad television, and your cat. Obviously adjusting to life in Tucson is going to take some time. I am grateful that I get to see my grandmother every day, and help make her life better by keeping her company and running small errands for her. When Andrew and I visited her before we went to Mexico I was worried about her. She was tired and disoriented, symptoms of the infection she has been fighting for months. For many people aged 88 these symptoms are commonplace, but for my grandmother they are extremely unusual. As a child I always thought my grandmother was invincible, and though I am far less naïve these days, I am happy to report that she is back to normal and seems healthier than ever. In fact she looks downright out of place at the rehab center, where she is the only patient who does not rely on a wheelchair to move about.

Unfortunately the world of health insurance is so muddled that the only way my grandmother’s antibiotic treatment is covered is if she stays at the rehab center until she finishes her second six-week course of medication. So I do what I can to ease her boredom by visiting her in the early afternoons, and we often sit outside and chat with a nice woman from the Congo who is recuperating from a stroke. Thankfully I never tire of hearing about the past lives of others, whether it is about pre-war Holland, post-war Ecuador, or traditional birthing practices of the Congo. It’s also fortunate that the elderly seem more than eager to share their stories and reminisce about their youth, and I am a willing receptacle for their memories.

I am living alone at my grandmother’s house, and unfortunately she lives in a suburb north of Tucson that is not within walking distance of much. Driving in this city is INSANE.  The main roads are six lanes wide, and there are very few stop signs or protected left turns. Because of this I haven’t ventured too far away from the neighborhood, but luckily I found a Bikram Yoga studio nearby where I go for an almost daily 90-minute torture session in a hot, humid, stinky room. The actual exercises and positions utilized in this kind of “yoga” are not incredibly difficult, but the near 100-degree heat and extreme humidity make this a very sweaty, dizzying, and in the end, rewarding experience. It doesn’t fulfill me spiritually in the same way that other, more traditional styles of yoga do, but at least it gets my blood moving and keeps me from going stir crazy.

When I’m not busy with Bikram or locking my keys in my truck (thank you, AAA!), I am cooking for myself using Paleo-diet friendly ingredients. I first went on this diet at the beginning of the year, and I was amazed at the results I noticed within just one month. The diet stresses fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, nuts, and other items that are considered “natural” to the ancient human condition. I already don’t eat wheat or dairy, and “going Paleo” just means I also cut out other grains like rice, and corn, and avoid overly processed foods. It’s a really great way to keep healthy, and this combined with Bikram will help me “detox” from all the noshing that occurred during the last month of our road trip.

I have also been enjoying the company of my cat, Sake. I was very fortunate to find a wonderful foster mom for Sake while the rest of us hit the road, but now that I knew I would be more stationary I decided to take her with me to relieve some of my loneliness. I love this cat, but after all I have experienced with her I have to say I might never have another. I adopted her from a shelter about five years ago, and when I took her home she was already a year old and had birthed a litter of feral kittens. Since I have owned her, her health problems have ranged from severe skin allergies to major scent gland infections to chronic arthritis. When I brought her to Tucson and let her out of her carrier I noticed she walked like she was three sheets to the wind. She was always a little on the loopy side, but at this point she couldn’t walk in a straight line to save her life! I brought her to the vet, and it was determined that she may have “bilateral vestibular disease,” which I think is a fancy way of saying serious double ear-infections.  She is on a course of antibiotics, but there is a possibility she may never fully recover. She is a very happy, loving cat otherwise, and her quality of life is still quite good, despite the apparent heart murmur that she has also acquired. I think I should just stop taking her to the vet!

In my spare time I read, research potential careers, or as a last resort, watch television. The other day I decided on a whim to apply for a position as a Park Ranger for the National Park System…at Kenai Fjords, Alaska! I have no idea how competitive the position is, or whether or not I will even make it through the first cut. I have never even been to Alaska! Ironically that seemed as good a reason as any to apply, and since I am determined to avoid a traditional office job for the time being, I might as well venture out on a limb or two while I can! In the meantime you can find me in Tucson, white-knuckling the steering wheel, sweating profusely while attempting to balance on one foot, sunbathing in December, or making dinner plans with octogenarians. Jealous yet?

This beautiful berry bush behind my grandmother’s house is home to many happy birds. I tried to capture some resident quail, but those suckers are FAST!
The mighty Palo Verde, which is Spanish for “Green Wood.” Go figure!
Maybe I could try my hand at making tequila?
One of the plants behind the house is going to seed, and little white puffs are everywhere!
Grams and I ham it up!

So Long (Mexico), and Thanks for all the Fish!

You would think that a 15,000 mile cross country road trip would have prepared us for a 12 hour car ride through Mexico, but you would be wrong. Riding in the backseat of an overstuffed sedan that is careening around mountain curves in a country where the lines on the road are merely suggestions is a lot different than meandering around in our pickup truck, stopping to admire the scenery when it suits our fancy. Thankfully Danny has been driving this route forever, and he was entirely capable of getting us to our destination safely. It required some quiet acceptance on our part that this wasn’t “our” road trip anymore, and we tried to sit back and relax while we sucked on ginger candies to ward off carsickness.

After a long uneventful drive with a few unpleasant bathroom stops and drug checkpoints, we made it to the house that sits on a cliff overlooking a serene, turquoise bay in the Sea of Cortez. Katie and I did some preliminary chores around the house (since it is a vacation home it is boarded up and the furniture is covered when no one is there), while the guys worked on getting the fishing boat ready for action.  That first night was the only night we didn’t eat freshly caught seafood that we wrangled ourselves. And by “we” I mean Danny, who is an expert at all things related to obtaining food from the sea.

I didn’t take notes while in Mexico, so I won’t be able to tell you what we did on any given day. Most days we awoke before the sunrise and headed out in the little fishing boat. I don’t know anything about boats, but I know that this was 19 feet long, and had GPS and this fun thing called a “fish finder” that uses some kind of sonar to detect fish below the boat. It was handy, but I could tell that even without the fish finder Danny would have found fish! Every morning started with us catching “bait fish.” I have only really ever done river fishing, and my faithful readers will remember the excitement I felt at catching three rainbow trout with my brother in Oregon. The bait fish we caught in Mexico were about the same size as those trout, and so I was already stoked when we started reeling them in.

After we had enough bait (around 10-15 fish) we headed out into deeper waters. Danny has specific fishing holes on “speed dial” if you will on the GPS, and so we tried various holes to catch fish. The first day out we caught two yellowtail fish; Danny first hooked one and then had me reel it in. I was unprepared for the strength of this fish (which was probably around 12 pounds or so), and so Katie had to help me by holding onto my back AND the fishing pole as I reeled. It was exhausting, but it was definitely a fun experience. That was the only fish I “caught” on the reel. Andrew had even worse luck, and had several fish get away before he could get them in the boat. Fortunately Danny and Katie caught plenty throughout the week, and we never went hungry in Mexico.

In addition to traditional fishing, the sea has lots to offer and we definitely took advantage. Andrew caught a small hognose fish with a spear gun, and it was my favorite fish taco meat we had all week. Danny also taught us how to dive for various clams and scallops. Scallops were hard for me because I’m not so great at holding my breath and diving deep, but I managed to pull up some on my own and I was proud of this accomplishment! Danny also scored us some lobsters, so we had quite the smorgasbord for our Thanksgiving feast.

When we weren’t on the boat we were lounging in the house, on the patio, or taking a hike. It was a relaxing time, and we encountered very few other people on the whole trip. There was no internet, no cell service, and no television. We read books, chatted, and played a game of spades every night. I am not a natural born card player, which gave Andrew (my partner in the game) a sizeable handicap. Everyone else would remember what cards had been played so they could formulate strategy. I only noticed what cards were being played in that given hand. I have the kind of brain that prefers to dwell “in the moment,” which is why I try to take good notes when something interesting happens so I can remember it later for the blog!

As the end of our trip neared, Andrew and I discussed plans for the future. Our visit to my grandmother in Tucson had convinced me she could use a helping hand, so we decided that I would spend the winter at her house while he and Zephyr headed up to Seattle with our stuff. It was a difficult decision, but as I sit here in Tucson typing this up I know it was the right one.  After returning from Mexico we spent a few days in San Diego couch surfing and getting our things organized, and then parted ways. Andrew headed into real winter with a rented moving truck and the trailer, while I headed back into the warm desert with the pickup truck and our brain-damaged cat.

Which leads me to this pressing question: do I continue posting on the blog? Our road trip is over, and we are going to be apart for a few months (with the exception of a week around Christmas, when I will fly up to Seattle). Despite this hiccup, I feel that the adventure of our young married life together is just starting. We still don’t know what the future holds; in February we could be living together in Seattle, or I could apply for a job working at a National Park, or we could decide to move to Costa Rica for a while! I have also become accustomed to having this blog as a sounding board for my feelings, insights, and experiences. I have received so many positive comments and compliments about the blog that I feel motivated to continue, and perhaps see if this whole “writing thing” can play a significant part in my future.  In classic blog style I will end this post by asking you, my readers: what do you think?

The hacienda on the hillside…not a bad place for a vacation!
This seemed like a good place for silly photos. This is our best “acro yoga” pose. We’re good, right?
Yeah, I took this photo.
The mighty Praying Mantis! We stumbled upon several of these creepy crawlers on this trip.
Here’s the monster that I “caught” with a little help…
One of the mighty yellowtail that Katie and Danny reeled in
One of our most successful fishing days. And again, by “our” I mean Danny’s.
Danny caught this giant creature with his own two hands!
Of course, Andrew was a natural on the wakeboard
I was not a natural, but I did manage to stand up for a second!
One of our Thanksgiving courses was handmade, freshly caught sushi. The other courses were scallops, clam steamers, fish tacos, lobster tails, and old snickers bars for dessert!
Snowflake, the resident “desert cat” enjoys the sunrise
Awwww! We’re tan and happy!

A Homeless Homecoming

I’m sitting in the passenger seat of the pickup, outside my favorite taco shop in San Diego. “San Diego!?” you say. “You’re still in Arizona!” Okay, I admit I have fallen hopelessly behind on blogging about my adventures, and for this I apologize. I know many of you (okay, maybe just you Jane!) are sitting glued to your monitors wondering where in the world the Ides are now.

After departing the Grand Canyon we headed down south towards my native city of Tucson to visit my grandmother, who at 88 years old is just starting to experience some health issues. Once we were on our way to Tucson we started to get the sad feeling that our trip was coming to an end. We saw more and more California license plates on the road and realized our teardrop traveling days were dwindling. We tried to keep our spirits up with diversions. We stopped in Sedona for lunch, and we went into every single jewelry store in town so Andrew could find the perfect silver wedding band before he finally settled on a very cool Hopi design. We braved the snow flurries on the crazy mountain pass outside Jerome, and then hunkered down for a freezing night spent in a campground near Prescott. Despite the bitter cold we were not alone, and made a point of camping as far from possible from the group of young men rocking out heavy metal while huddling around a large bonfire.

Sadly, this was to be our last night in the teardrop. We spent our first night in Tucson with Jane, an old family friend who lives out in the desert in an area so remote that she came out to meet us on her four-wheeler as we were driving up. We had a lovely time visiting Jane and her husband Don, while also mooching free laundry and dinner. We have become quite adept at taking advantage of people’s generosity, and fortunately so far people seem to actually enjoy helping us. I am grateful for all of the help and hospitality we have received along our journey. I wonder how long we can keep up this charade…I really think I could have a future in hobodom!

The next few nights were spent at my grandmother’s house, and we visited her every day in the rehab facility where she is being treated for a mysterious infection. While in Tucson we distracted ourselves by having a drink with Chaz, an old high school buddy of mine who happened to be in town. He showed up in his Navy khakis (he is an officer), and talked about his plans for nursing school. Yet another example of one of my peers having achieved so much already and having responsible plans for the future. Who are these people?!?

Most of our time in Tucson was low-key, so we had plenty of time to think about our options and fret about our own future. We figured we were all set to move in with Andrew’s parents for the winter, but we were beat to the punch by his sister, her husband, toddler, and their two dogs. Andrew’s family is very generous and accommodating and still welcomed us to come, but having six adults, a toddler, and three dogs in one house was starting to sound like “crazytown” to this girl, who is used to being alone in the woods with her little family. Additionally, as I spent more time with my grandmother I realized that, while she has a wonderful network of friends in Tucson, there is no family nearby to take care of the day-to-day tasks that she needs assistance with. She had been in the rehab facility for five days before we got there, and still only had the clothes she was wearing when she arrived. I started thinking maybe I could be of use to her this winter, so Andrew and I began grappling with the idea of parting ways for a few months.

After lolling around Tucson for a few days we said goodbye to Grandma and headed back into San Diego for a few days before the exciting Mexican leg of our adventure; the grand finale if you will. Returning to your hometown without actually having a home there is tough. You feel like you’re home, and you start spending money on all of your favorite restaurants and such, but you don’t have a routine, and you don’t have a place to settle. You also don’t have a job, so the whole spending money bit is treacherous! After floating around San Diego for a few days we dropped Zephyr off at Sunnybrook Farms, an awesome dog-boarding farm that lets the dogs run around in a pack and play all day. It was bittersweet to say goodbye. Zephyr has grown on me, despite (or maybe thanks to) his crazy antics, but it was nice knowing he was going to have a grand time with some canine pals.

Our Thanksgiving trip to Baja, Mexico was planned months and months ago, much to the dismay of my father who usually hosts Thanksgiving. Fortunately Dad was generous enough to give me his blessing. I love family and I love Dad’s turkey…but when life asks you “Sacramento…or Mexico?” you’d better say Mexico! Our friends Danny and Katie travel to Baja frequently, and Danny’s family owns a house near the town of Mulege which is about 12 hours south on the Sea of Cortez. After a few days in San Diego the four of us crammed into Katie’s (mostly) reliable sedan, along with oodles of fishing gear, spear guns, snorkeling equipment, coolers, and a wakeboard, and left San Diego at 0’ dark-thirty in the morning.

A lovely view of a snowy mountain peak in northern Arizona
The red rocks outside Sedona are beautiful, although compared to the awe of Utah they’re nothing to write home about!
I was white-knuckling the steering wheel while driving in the snow over the mountains when I suddenly realized I needed to relieve myself! There was nothing for it but to squat behind the truck and hope no one saw. Andrew made a point of capturing my pee dance.
Here is Jane, leading the way on her four-wheeler. What a badass!
Nothing reminds me of my childhood like the sight of the stoic saguaro
Jane’s backyard comes equipped with an excellent spot for family photos!

Ain’t Life Grand?

We entered Arizona on a blustery day, which led to several entertaining complications. Just as we crossed the border, Andrew yelled some profanities and I looked behind us to see that the hatchback to the trailer had managed to pop open. The latch for the hatchback had broken many miles and states before, but there was enough weight in the door to keep it down. I’m not sure if the wind is completely to blame, but for some reason the door had swung up and open, and so we pulled over to assess the damage. My first concern was for the coffee, especially since it had been so cold and wet these last few days and coffee has become my morning lifeblood. I ran back and saw that the coffee was still safe and sound, and assumed that meant everything else was in order. We secured the door with a bungee cord and continued on our way, unaware until later that we had actually lost four plastic cups and my vanilla sweetener somewhere down the highway.

The second funny thing happened when we pulled over at a scenic overlook so Andrew could make a sandwich. It was incredibly windy so I decided to stay in the truck while Andrew fought the wind. Apparently the wind won out, as I once again heard Andrew swearing. I opened my door in time to see bread, ham, and cheese go flying past. Andrew had set his sandwich down for a second on the tailgate and the wind had lifted it up and sent it sailing. Not one to let a good sandwich go to waste, Andrew put it back together after attempting to brush out the gravel. It turned out to be a rather crunchy sandwich, and he ate begrudgingly with a hearty side of grumbling.

We continued on into Northern Arizona, driving through the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation on our way to the Grand Canyon. Heavy, dark clouds loomed ahead, warning us of the cold, wet weather to come. I zoned out in the warm truck, delirious from lack of sleep and the physical exertion of our morning hike in Zion. On the radio we picked up a local Navajo station, and I was lulled into a spiritual stupor by the steady drumbeat and harmonic chanting as we passed increasingly impressive chasms and colorful canyons.

Our first order of duty upon entering the National Park was to take showers. We arrived at 5 PM, and only had one hour before the showers closed so we high-tailed it over to the laundry/shower facility.  I was still cold and damp from our rain-soaked hike, so I was prepared to spend $4 for 16 minutes of shower time. As I put in my first two dollars, the machine got jammed, and when I pushed with force one of my quarters popped back out. I don’t know what happened, but the shower started running, and not only was the water hot and wonderful, somehow the timer was disabled and so I was able to shower as long as I liked for $1.75. I was so stoked for this little bit of luck, I felt like I could go out and buy a lottery ticket and win the jackpot.

After our showers we were wonderfully warm and dry, just in time for the hail/sleet/snow to start falling. At this point we couldn’t imagine sitting outside in the cold trying to cook and enjoy our dinner, so we took advantage of how developed the Grand Canyon is and headed to a restaurant. We had a mediocre and overpriced meal, but I would have paid double just to sit inside and drink my spiked coffee. After dinner we went back to our campsite to let Zephyr run a bit, since he had been cooped up in the truck all day. As we shivered in the snow, Zephyr ran, romped, rolled, and shook about, in love with the weather. Being half husky he is naturally prepared for the cold, and his joy was palpable. That night I made a promise to Zephyr that I would never take him to Florida, or any tropical locale, ever again!

The next morning I awoke early to the eerie silence that accompanies bitterly cold weather. I bundled up and went outside to let Zephyr out, but was thwarted by the frozen truck doors. After a lot of yanking, pulling, and cursing I pried open the back door and let him out. I fed him and then grabbed his water bowl, only to find a thick layer of ice instead! We had some fun sliding on frozen puddles, and then packed up and headed to an overlook parking lot that was in the sun to cook our breakfast.

Sun aside it was a frigid morning, with a temperature of 27° F and a wind-chill of 18° F! We ate our breakfast quickly, and had a brisk walk along the Grand Canyon’s rim. We would have preferred to take a hike down into the canyon, but dogs are strictly forbidden and so we satisfied ourselves with the occasional rock scramble to get some good photos. After our stroll we loaded up and drove out into the chilly Northern Arizona day with our cold noses pointed south towards my native city of Tucson.

Here it is…proof of the snow! It didn’t stick on the ground, but we had a light dusting on our awesome fenders!
Andrew was nice enough to let me wear his down coat (on top of mine!) while he cooked breakfast. It was COLD!
The Grand Canyon is one of those places where pictures just do not do it justice. But I tried anyway!
Sometimes you just have to bust a move!
Zephyr was really nervous about being on this rock, but I made him pose for a photo anyway…
There they are…the sheepskin boots! Still the best $50 I have EVER spent!
It was cold, but he warms my heart!

You Ought to See Utah

Utah is a land of many wonders, and so although we were sad to leave Moab and our friends, we were excited to check out more National Parks in the state. We headed west and arrived at Canyonlands National Park after dark, so we quickly set up camp and headed to bed. The next morning we drove through some of the scenic areas and parked at a trailhead where we made breakfast and enjoyed the sunshine. As we were sitting there quietly drinking our coffee I heard the unmistakable revving of engines in duress, and I looked up to see some awesome Jeep off-roaders heading up the cliff side. Canyonlands is one of the few National Parks that allows this kind of activity, and it was fun to watch these little vehicles with giant tires navigate rocky paths and boulders while driving at 70-degree angles. After breakfast we took a little stroll with Zephyr to check out some “pothole communities,” which are little holes in the rock that fill up with water in the rainy season and allow strange creatures to thrive. Unfortunately all of the potholes were dry, but we enjoyed the surrounding red rock “needles” and the fresh air.

After leaving Canyonlands we continued to head southwest through Utah. The geology of this mostly uninhabited region of the United States is phenomenal. We wished multiple times that we had a magic lamp we could rub to summon my geologist stepfather Dale, so we could learn about these amazing formations. The next National Park we hit was Capitol Reef, a park I had never even heard of before we arrived. It is a small park with similar geology to Canyonlands, but through the center of the canyon is a small river that provides enough water for an orchard and homestead that pioneer Mormons established back in the day. We camped near the orchards, but were disappointed that the fruit trees were done producing for the season. Apparently if you arrive at the right time you are free to go collect as much fruit as you want!

Up next in Utah was Bryce Canyon, which now sits at the top of my list of most beautiful places visited on this trip. We arrived thinking we would just do the usual drive through, but Ranger Kevin in the visitor center advised us that Bryce Canyon has the “best three-mile hike in the world.” It is even printed on their map as such, and so we felt compelled to check it out. We left Zephyr in the truck (with a silent prayer that he stays put), and gave ourselves a goal of finishing the hike in one hour and 15 minutes. We managed to meet this goal, despite stopping a million times to take photographs of the wondrous rock formations. At one point on the trail we discovered a Cairn forest, and of course we built our own Cairns to leave our temporary mark on this wonderful hike. (If you don’t know what a Cairn is, see the photo below.) We hurried back to the visitor center to thank Ranger Kevin and we had to concur: so far that was definitely the best three-mile hike we have ever been on!

I was sad to leave Bryce, but the call of Zion was strong, and so we headed even further west to this famous site. Several times as we drove through Utah and visited its marvels I thought to myself, I can see why the Mormons settled here! Coming across the plains in a covered wagon and stumbling into this wild land with its enormous, balancing red rocks, spires, and arches, it’s no wonder they thought this was sacred land! Of course this land was sacred to the native peoples well before the Mormons arrived, and I am happy to add myself to the long list of people who find wonder, awe, and inspiration in this amazing place.

When we arrived at Zion I immediately compared it to Bryce Canyon. Zion is huge, incredibly developed, and immensely popular, while Bryce allows more of a feeling of new discovery to the visitor. Initially I was dubious about Zion’s merits, especially since the campground we pulled into was crowded, unimpressive, and expensive. The night was cold and wet, and I had a hard time sleeping with the howling wind and fat raindrops beating on the teardrop. The next morning we awoke early and drove to a trailhead for a hike Andrew was determined to accomplish. Initially I was worried about leaving Zephyr in the truck for so long, since the hike was a steep and difficult 5.4 miles. Fortunately the weather was miserable, and so we were confident Zephyr would be more than happy in his warm truck house for several hours.

We headed up the trail to Angel’s Landing in the cold drizzle, which involved many switchbacks and steep hills. After a few hours of climbing, we arrived at a point where you basically scramble up boulders while clinging to chains that have been installed “for safety.” The chains were wet, cold, and slippery, and I had to wear my mittens to keep the blood flowing to my fingers. We finally arrived at the top, and were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the immense valley that was carved eons ago by the beautiful Virgin River. As we sat amazed and stupefied by the scenery, the skies opened and hail began to fall. We made a hasty retreat back down the rocks, mumbling curses as large hailstones made contact with our heads. The hike back down was hard on the knees, but we were smart enough to bring our hiking poles, which definitely helped. Despite being good planners and having our raincoats on, I had stubbornly worn my jeans and suffered for it. By the time we arrived back at the truck we were soaked and cold to the bone.

We did a quick clothing change in the parking lot as one lone thunderclap exploded overhead. I was grateful we had safely descended before the weather became dangerous. As we hiked down we saw many people just starting their ascent, including a group of teenagers hiking in cotton sweatshirts and tennis shoes. I crossed my fingers that they were smart enough to know when to turn back. As we piled into the truck we said hello to Zephyr, who (as predicted), had enjoyed a nice warm nap. We blasted the heater in an attempt to warm our bodies to a temperature that matched our exhilarated spirits, and then headed out of Utah and towards the Grand Canyon.

Occasionally I feel compelled to remind you all of how awesome our teardrop is!
This biological soil crust (sometimes called “crypto”) is actually composed of living organisms. It can take several hundred years for this crust to form, and it is extremely important to the Colorado Plateau ecosystem.
We randomly drove by Newspaper Rock and stopped to check it out. It’s a big rock out in the middle of nowhere where ancient Native Americans stopped to either record important stories or doodle, no one really knows. It is an incredible sight; I am always blown away by the intricacies and beauty of ancient art.
Utterly amazing
I love how this little tree clings to the desert soil. I felt myself relating to these trees as we hiked; my heart is still clinging to this landscape even as I write this from San Diego.
I am dwarfed by this massive formation
This is the Cairn forest I was talking about. A Cairn is a rock pile that is generally used to mark a trail. In this case they were just for fun, and some were even stacked on tree branches. So cool!
There it is! The couple shot!
A view from the top after our ascent out of the “Best Three-Mile Hike in the WORLD!”
Zion is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. You can see why!
It’s hard to tell, but I’m standing on a rock about 2 1/2 feet wide, with a sheer drop off on either side. Wheeee!