# Summer Plans



## snowsprite (May 25, 2005)

So what is everyone doing this summer?

I am planning a trip to the Grand Canyon for early Sept, organizing my garage and the "spare room" (otherwise known as the Black Hole), stepping up the workout routine, feeding my ipod (ripping my hundreds of cds), and shopping for new ski boots. We will probably head to Jersey Six Flags to ride Kingda Ka too. Keeping as busy as possible 'til the snow flies again.   8) 

I'm also researching travel plans for next summer believe it or not. I already have a lot of info re: skiing in S. America which I want to do but have fallen thru for 2 summers in a row. We're now thinking of a slightly different plan though: doing a few days skiing and then head to Machu Picchu or Easter Island for some exploring. Anyone here ever been to either place by chance?

Sprite


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## thetrailboss (May 25, 2005)

Summer?  Will there be summer?  With this weather, am thinking about getting the skis back out :roll:

Plans:  well, we're going to visit Bates College for significant other's sister's commencement this weekend.  Should be fun.  May be stopping to look at something for Ms. Trailboss :wink:

I turn a quarter-century old on June 17th, so will celebrate with a BBQ and short hike.  If it rains (ugh) :x will go to the New England Ski Museum instead.  

July brings a week long vacation in Old Orchard, ME...that is always fun.  

August..moving BACK north :beer: 

In between...hiking the rest of the Wapack, relaxing, getting ready for law school :roll:  My hiking season has pretty much been non-existant with this weather :evil:


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## TenPeaks (May 25, 2005)

Nothing big for me this summer. I'll be hiking and camping a few times each month and hope to get a couple backpacking trips in. I've also got some work planned for around the house, like building a patio and ripping wallpaper off some walls.

I visited Machu Picchu back in '97. It's a beautiful place and has lots to explore. If you have the time take the hike up to Machu Picchu peak. I don't recall it's real name, but it's the mountain that's in all the pictures. The hike only takes about an hour to get to the top and is definitely worth it. I'd also suggest spending a night in the small town at the bottom of the mountain. That way you can explore the ruins into the late evening when most of the tourists leave. You can also catch a bus up to the ruins the next morning to do some exploring before all the tourists get there. Have a great trip. It's a beautiful and facinating place.


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## TenPeaks (May 25, 2005)

I don't know how this slipped my mind, but I just got back from this year's big summer trip. I was in Las Vegas with my wife all last week and while there we rented a car and explored Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon. Too much to tell in this post. We had an awesome time and saw many wonderful things.

On our last day in Vegas we drove out to Death Valley. It's an eerie, beautiful and HOT place. The temperature reached 113F, but with the wind chill it felt more like 101F


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## Vortex (May 25, 2005)

Work an insane amount.  So I can enjoy the ski season come fall.


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## dmc (May 25, 2005)

Working on the house and playing in my bands at a ton of parties...
Going to try and do a lot of fishing, swimming, mountain biking and hiking...


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## pizza (May 25, 2005)

run, bike, hike, and if i lose enough weight, climb..

i might make a trip or two to colorado.. want to scope it out.


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## nekgirl (May 25, 2005)

BONNAROO Festival June 10-12!  wooohoooo!!!! :beer:  :lol:  8)  :beer: 

Anyone else?


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## snowsprite (May 25, 2005)

nekgirl said:
			
		

> BONNAROO Festival June 10-12!  wooohoooo!!!! :beer:  :lol:  8)  :beer:
> 
> Anyone else?



I googled this because I have never heard of it. Seems like an interesting line-up:

http://www.bonnaroo.com/2005/


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## snowsprite (May 25, 2005)

TenPeaks, we've been advised to go in Sept. But it's looking like maybe late August. We are going to roast our arses off!   

Also how far out to Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon from Vegas?

Thanks!  



			
				TenPeaks said:
			
		

> I don't know how this slipped my mind, but I just got back from this year's big summer trip. I was in Las Vegas with my wife all last week and while there we rented a car and explored Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon. Too much to tell in this post. We had an awesome time and saw many wonderful things. :x
> 
> On our last day in Vegas we drove out to Death Valley. It's an eerie, beautiful and HOT place. The temperature reached 113F, but with the wind chill it felt more like 101F


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## TenPeaks (May 25, 2005)

> Also how far out to Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon from Vegas?



Zion is about 150 miles or a 2.5 hour drive from Vegas and can easily be done in a day. Bryce is about 80 miles from Zion (2 hour drive).

On my trip I drove from Vegas to the Zion Visitor Center where I met a friend who lives in the area. We did some day hikes then headed back to his house near the north end of the park. The next day I drove from there to Bryce by following Interstate 15 to Rt. 20 to 89 then to Bryce. I stayed in a hotel just outside the canyon that night. The next morning I drove to the north rim of the Grand Canyon following Rt. 89. After a couple hours at the canyon I returned to Vegas by going back up Rt. 89 and then followed Rt. 9 through Zion and back to the highway. That day was over 300 miles of driving!

To get to Bryce from Zion you could save a few miles by following Rt. 9 through Zion and then head for Bryce that way. My route was a bit more convenient since I was closer to Rt. 20 at the time.

Another thing to consider is visiting Cedar Breaks National Monument just north of Zion. I couldn't get there because the road was still buried under 20 feet of snow. It's rumored to be a spectacular place.

Finally, before you go do yourself a favor and pick up a National Park pass. It's $50, good for 1 year,  will save you a ton of cash (each park has a $20 entrance fee) and very convenient.


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## snowsprite (May 25, 2005)

Thanks very much for the advice!

Sprite


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## NoodleRod (May 25, 2005)

Has anyone ever gone to "Burning Man Festival" ?
What is it about ??  :-?


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## pizza (May 25, 2005)

NoodleRod said:
			
		

> Has anyone ever gone to "Burning Man Festival" ?
> What is it about ??  :-?



burning man used to be a multi-day underground outdoor rave complete with drugs, desert, and techno culminating in a giant figurine being burned in a massive bonfire. it was cool.. ten years ago.

lately, however, it sounds like burning man has gone corporate.. too many people know about it.

its somewhere in remote nevada.


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## BeanoNYC (May 25, 2005)

Some of friends went last year.  They said it was ho-hum.   It's a lot cheaper to tour down a Shakedown street to get the same kinda vibe. (Probably a better time at the lot too!)


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## Vortex (May 26, 2005)

I'll hang out in a few parking lots this summer....  Checking out Shakedown Street.  Bonaroo  good for NEKGirl.  Alot of work.  Time vs reward for me.  I am jealous though.


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## MichaelJ (May 26, 2005)

A flurry of trips to Maine bagging peaks while backpacking in the Carrabassett area and camping Baxter State Park, some downtime to myself, a trip to the Adirondacks, a vacation on the Vineyard, Flags on the 48, a trip to Vermont to finish my NE 67 4000-footers, and then some foliage hiking before starting ski season again.

I'm already thinking about summer 2006 and maybe taking 15 days on the Long Trail.

Phew!


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## SilentCal (May 26, 2005)

Got a week to myself in the Whites in early June.  Heading to Quebec City for a couple days in early July for a wedding.  A week at Lake Sunapee in late July.  Two weeks in the Whites in September with Grace.   It's Pemi Loop time!!! Flags on the 48 will the major highlight though.  Other than that I just keep trying to knock off sections of the Metacomet-Mondanock Trail and do as many local hikes as I can.


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## smitty77 (Jun 2, 2005)

snowspritect said:
			
		

> So what is everyone doing this summer?


Hopefully section-hike the 18 miles of the Tully Trail with my energetic siberian husky.  Every section will be an out-and-back, so can I count it as doing the trail twice?  :wink:  Already did about 5 miles of it with the dog.

Would like to get up to the Alpine Garden with the family next weekend.  Maybe do Wachusett a few times, and possibly Monadnock.  Might try some bike riding if I can get my hands on a child carrier for the bike.  (Anyone have one to loan/sell???)  Maybe do some camping at one of the local campgrounds.  Then I'll cap it off with another great hike on 9/11 with the Flags on the 48.

Less work, more play.   8) 
Smitty


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## nancie2k (Jun 2, 2005)

will go to vermont a few times to mow the grass and enjoy the mountains.
family live down the shore in little egg harbor, 2 live on lagoons with boats,and i love fishing!!
my dad is paying for his 4 daughters and families to go to florida for 2 weeks in july. that should be fun!!!


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## hammer (Jun 2, 2005)

nancie2k said:
			
		

> will go to vermont a few times to mow the grass and enjoy the mountains.
> family live down the shore in little egg harbor, 2 live on lagoons with boats,and i love fishing!!
> my dad is paying for his 4 daughters and families to go to florida for 2 weeks in july. that should be fun!!!


I grew up on the Jersey shore near Long Beach Island.  My parents were big on fishing, and we also lived on a lagoon, so we went out fishing on the bay a lot.

Never appreciated how nice the beaches were then...

I'll be going back in August to visit family.  The water should be nice and warm by that time.


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## zowi420 (Jun 2, 2005)

In between working, hiking, kayaking and being a buffet for north country bugs, I, too, will be spending a week in my old "stompin' ground" of Ocean City, New Jersey!


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## flyingfree (Jun 3, 2005)

*What's doing this summer...*

I grew up in NJ too and LOVE the shore!  I'm from Northern NJ so I had to travel to get to the water.  Part of the reason I moved to Portsmouth, NH was for the ocean.

This is the first summer I don't have a million plans.  I used to do a lot of backpacking, but no one wants to go anymore.  : (

I have a lot of down time in July.  My daughter stays with her dad for 6 weeks and my job is very slow in the summer.  

The reason I joined this website is to find some people to enjoy the outdoors with!  I'm looking forward to hooking up on some hikes.

I do a lot of biking, kayaking and running too.

Oh, one thing I can count on every summer is going to my company's National Sales Conference.  We sit in hotel conference rooms for 12 hours in suits and dresses...my case a dress. (Yes, there is at least one dress some place in the back of my closet) It lasts 5 days and is mandetory.  Believe me, I've tried getting out of it many times.  This will be my 7th one.

We listen to people drone on and on with powerpoint presentations.  We have working lunches and dinners...so that we get EVERYTHING in. They don't want us to miss a thing!  And my boss runs around taking attendence.  If he doesn't see you (and there are 300 people there, how he does it amazes me), he will find you and give you THE TALK!  I got nailed one year skipping out on something and got THE TALK! 

The only way around it is to wait until he has a big hangover from his yearly poker party.  I can skip out Friday morning 1st thing and he's never caught me.  ha ha ha 

I work out of the house and am VERY casual.  I set my own schedule and only see my boss once a year.

So my fall always kicks off the week of August 16th.  Sales conference and then school starts.

I push as hard as I can to enjoy this great New England weather and get all my fun, outdoor activities in.

Hope to be meeting you guys soon!


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## Stephen (Jun 3, 2005)

Geez, what is it with us NJ folks ending up in NH. We moved up in 84 when my father was transferred from Somerset NJ to Cambridge MA. We moved to Nashua, but I went to school at UNH and never wanted to leave the seacoast again. Just bought a house in Somersworth in December.

Leaving in a few hours from work to go camping with the family in Meredith. Wooohooo!

-Stephen


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## hammer (Jun 3, 2005)

Stephen said:
			
		

> Geez, what is it with us NJ folks ending up in NH.


I don't know about other NJ transplants, but I came up to Boston over 20 years ago to go to school.  Except for summers back home while in college and a few stints out of New England while in the military, I never left...


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## skibumtress (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: What's doing this summer...*



			
				flyingfree said:
			
		

> I grew up in NJ too and LOVE the shore!  I'm from Northern NJ so I had to travel to get to the water.



Where in Northern NJ flyingfree?  I grew up in Wyckoff.  Back in NJ again after NYC and LA.


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## flyingfree (Jun 3, 2005)

*Where in Northern NJ flyingfree? I grew up in Wyckoff. Back in NJ again after NYC and LA*

I grew up in Ho-Ho-Kus...so we were neighbors.  : )

Where do you live now?


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## flyingfree (Jun 3, 2005)

*Geez, what is it with us NJ folks ending up in NH*

We had a summer house on a lake in Vermont when I was a kid.  When we drove up, I would think: "I'm going to live up here one day."

As much as I love cities, nature has always tugged at my heart.  The quieter, more laid back life style has always appealed to me.

I went to college in MA and moved to NH after that from NJ.  I lived in the White Mountains for 12 years beginning in 85.  They thought I was from Mars...a TRANSPLANT!!  It was quite a shock!

So I moved to Portsmouth...for job opportunity, for the ocean, for the laid back eclectic life style.  I love the small city atmosphere and knowing the mountains are near for hiking, biking, snowshoeing.

Besides, NJ is WAY OVERPOPULATED!!  This NH lifestyle is just fabulous!!  : )


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## Stephen (Jun 3, 2005)

Never want to go back to North Plainfield. I visited once since we moved... can't go back home again and all that jazz.

Love the seacoast... 1-2hours from anything you want... ocean, forest, mountains, lakes, city, town, and everything in between.

-Stephen


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## flyingfree (Jun 3, 2005)

*Love the seacoast... 1-2hours from anything*

I agree, the seacoast is very unique.  Every time I'm on my bike, in the kayak, snowshoeing on Mt "A", I can't get over that I actually LIVE HERE. 

When I go on vaca I remind myself that I live in one of the best places!  It makes it easier to come home. 

I have a hard time in the winters...have a dream of buying a second home in Costa Rica for winters. I'm more of a summer person.  : )


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## loafer89 (Jun 3, 2005)

I guess that I live in the wrong place as I dislike the ocean and I am much more comfortable in the mountains. I was born and raised in Bayside, Queens New York, so technically I have been living on Long Island for my whole life. I have been living in Lake Grove for 5 years come June 5th, and it's a nice place, but I would rather live in New England.

As for plans this summer, my son really wants to go the top of Mount Washington via the Cog Railroad and we will do this in the next few weeks.


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## awf170 (Jun 3, 2005)

loafer89 said:
			
		

> I guess that I live in the wrong place as I dislike the ocean and I am much more comfortable in the mountains. I was born and raised in Bayside, Queens New York, so technically I have been living on Long Island for my whole life. I have been living in Lake Grove for 5 years come June 5th, and it's a nice place, but I would rather live in New England.
> 
> As for plans this summer, my son really wants to go the top of Mount Washington via the Cog Railroad and we will do this in the next few weeks.


how much does that cost now, its very expensive right


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## ALLSKIING (Jun 3, 2005)

loafer89 said:
			
		

> I guess that I live in the wrong place as I dislike the ocean and I am much more comfortable in the mountains.


Now Loafer I to love the Mountains summer and winter but I have trouble finding a place I would rather be in the summer. Every morning at 6am jumping on the boat and skiing for an hour is a great way to start the day. How about beaching the boat on the dunes and spending the day there skiing eating drinking sleeping it lots of fun.


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## loafer89 (Jun 3, 2005)

The Cog Railroad costs $49.00 for adults and $35.00 for children, so it's expensive but not unreasonable. We also want to take the Auto Road up the next day. If there is still enough snow I will consider skiing at Tuckerman as there is alot more snow there this year than last judging by the pictures at www.timefortuckerman.com

I have not been to Tuckerman since May of 1990


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## loafer89 (Jun 3, 2005)

I am afraid that I do not like saltwater or sand and we visit the beach about 1-2 times a year, usually in August when the water is at the bathwater temperature that I like to swim in. 

One advantage of Long Island is that the sea breeze keeps things cool into June, when everyone else is sweating things out inland 8) This year the Atlantic is especially cold for the season, I have yet to even consider turning on my AC in the house due to the cool-cold nights.


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## skibumtress (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Where in Northern NJ flyingfree? I grew up in Wyckoff. Back in NJ again after NYC and*



			
				flyingfree said:
			
		

> I grew up in Ho-Ho-Kus...so we were neighbors.  : )
> 
> Where do you live now?



Yes, we were neighbors.  Don't know how old you are but perhaps we hung out at the same places.  Used to frequent AB&G's.  Still go there on occassion.  Way back when, used to work at the Mason Jar.
I live in Clifton now.  My Mom is still in the area -- Waldwick.

Funny folks are saying Northern NJ folks have moved to NH.  In the past year that's been a thought for me.


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## skibumtress (Jun 4, 2005)

*Re: What's doing this summer...*



			
				flyingfree said:
			
		

> The reason I joined this website is to find some people to enjoy the outdoors with!  I'm looking forward to hooking up on some hikes.
> 
> I do a lot of biking, kayaking and running too.



Flyingfree.... a few of us here post on the Kzone board (www.killingtonzone.com) also.  A while back I posted on the KZone board that this summer I would be trying to get a group together to bike and/or hike for anyone who wants to join.  Would like to explore different places in different areas so NJ, NY, CT and New Englanders can join.  So when I get the first gathering together, I'll post it here too.


By the way, if you check out the K-Zone board (although it is a ski forum and not sure if you ski so it may not interest you anyway), don't get scared.  Skiing season has ended and a few folks are getting a little nutty at the moment.  The majority of the people there are truly good people... and fun!


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## flyingfree (Jun 4, 2005)

*Used to frequent AB&G's. Still go there on occassion*

Oh boy, Do I remember AB&G's.  I'm 43 and was a frequent visiter there from the age of 18 to 22.  I also remember the Mason Jar.  Good old Paramus...we used to go to a dance club on Rt 17 every weekend, but I can't remember it's name anymore.  

Living in NH is wonderful!!  I'd recommend checking it out, especially the Seacoast!



*check out the K-Zone board *

Thanks for mentioning the K-Zone Board.  I will check it out.  I stopped skiing years ago and now snowshoe.  Sometimes I think about taking skiing back up, but haven't been motivated to purchase new equipment.  

My garage looks like a sports shop as it is.     I have just enough room to get my car in around the bikes, snowshoes and kayak.[/b]


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## flyingfree (Jun 4, 2005)

*skibumtress wrote:*

(how do you get the little box to work with people's quotes...don't laugh everyone.  I know it's a pathetic question)

*bike and/or hike different areas so NJ, NY, CT and New Englanders can join*

Since I have so much free time in the summer, (watch, this year will be different ha ha) I can probably free myself to bike or hike in NJ, NY or CT.  That would be interesting.


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## skibumtress (Jun 4, 2005)

flyingfree said:
			
		

> *skibumtress wrote:*
> 
> (how do you get the little box to work with people's quotes...don't laugh everyone.  I know it's a pathetic question)
> 
> ...



Hit the little quote box in the upper right hand corner of the post.  Check your PM..... who knows, we may know each other.


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