Hiking in Utah

As I said before, I got back from a hiking trip around Utah last week.  I finally got around to uploading the pictures I took of the awesome Indian ruins we saw.  I'm only going to post a few, but feel free to email me if you want more-- because I have a lot, too many to post here.

The first picture shows a pot we went on a ridiculously long, trail-less, steep up-and-down hike to get to.  But, as you can see, it was completely worth it.  The pot was entirely intact aside from a few cracks, and it was well-hidden in between two rocks.

This carving was actually on one of the rocks that were over the pot.  In fact, the pot is nicknamed the "murder pot" because this pictograph shows a guy shooting another guy with an arrow.

 

This is a pendant I found, made from a piece of broken pottery that was rounded and then had a hole carved in it.  In the background, you can see my uncle, and behind him, some fabulous bluffs. 

I apologize for the fact that this picture is so out of focus, but, as you can see, this is an almost intact arrowhead (only one edge is broken off)

 

This deer (I think) was carved into the floor of a steeply sloped cave.  The cave also featured several different animal tracks, a turtle, and a line of little feet going all the way out to the edge. 

These green hand prints were something I had never seen before-- usually they are reddish brown.  If you look closely at the palms, you can see where a pattern was painted.  Very cool.

REMEMBER: I have many more amazing pictures I just didn't have room for!  My uncle also took several very cool pictures, and you can see them!  Just email me at thetoothpickchick@gmail.com!  However, I might be able to post more later, so keep checking in if you liked these.

East Coast Trip-- Sunshine, Beaches, and Driving Galore

About three days ago, I got back from a wonderful trip to the East Coast, upon which I visited Maryland, Delaware, Washington DC, and Philadelphia, and stayed in an AMAZING hotel (Big shout-out to Comfort Suites Maryland :D).  Below I've outlined each place by best part about it, worst part about it, and yummiest thing I ate there.
  Place:    Maryland
Best Part(s):     The NASA Goddard museum, Edgar Allen Poe's Grave, and the wonderful (and huge) Value Village thrift store
Worst part(s):   The market downtown was really sketchy and some of the cities were too (as well as a Sleep Inn that doesn't deserve mention)
Yummiest:      An amazing Margarita pizza I had at an Italian Restaurant the day I arrived

Place:     Delaware
Best Part(s):   How nice downtown was- you could walk around, and there were restaurants and little stores lining the streets, and people walking around.... it had a really good feel.  Also the beach-- it was big, nice, and really fun!
Worst Part(s):  There really weren't any-- I loved it!
Yummiest:         Rita's Ice Cream stands- they were scattered around, but the one downtown was my favorite- and their choco-vanilla swirl frozen custards weren't to be scoffed at either!

Place:      Philadelphia
Best Part(s):   The Chemical Heritage Foundation Museum- A nerd's dream come true
Worst Part(s):    Polish-American Museum: They suckered you in with these signs of delicious-looking Polish Water Ices, so I went in because I was hot and thirsty, and looked at the boring displays to be polite, and then there wasn't any water ice at all; just an old lady at a desk.  Also the Liberty Bell, which was way smaller than expected and crowded with tourists.
Yummiest:    A pretzel from the market that you could stand there and see them make-- Fresh, buttery..... Best pretzel EVER and possibly best food of the entire trip.

Place:      Washington DC
Best Part(s):   The science part of the Smithsonian History museum, as well as the Pop Culture section and the instrument room that had the ornate Stradivarius quartet, the Air & Space museum, and the modern portion of the National Gallery.  And yes, I saw the DaVinci.
Worst Part(s):   The amount of walking was insane (I took the metro), and my feet were so sore at the end of the day I could barely walk, and I had to take the next day off to just swim and sight see near the hotel to rest my poor feet.
Yummiest:   Ethiopian food.  I had never had it before, but U Street downtown had at least four of them;I guess it was the Ethiopian district.  I chose the restaurant that was busiest, and it was delicious, yet extremely filling and far more food than I could eat.

So, you've gotten a taste of the East Coast from me.  Please post comments with your own East Coast experiences, or if you have something to add......