… the question is, do you know what you’re eating?

See this film (but not just after a meal)!

anne 1930 – 2009 ♥ ralph 1928 – 2009

Just came across this amazing post on DCist…

Just a month left to rally to make a VA vegetarian license plate a reality!

The only problem is we don’t have a car. I need to get a custom license plate, cup holder and bumper for my bike. Why should cars have a monopoly on all the cool accessories?

…. and Uncle Phillip! And thanks to Dana for the photo!

Dad, you haven’t aged at all!

Yes, it’s true, I’m now a gelaterista! Ok, so that’s probably not a real word but I do have a job in the real world at Pitango Gelato! Dan & I stumbled upon Pitango Thursday night and I started working there Saturday!  I am crazy giddy over having landed such a fab job so quickly! I get to eat unlimited quantities of gelato while working and the company is top notch. The owner has researched every ingredient – all of which are organic. The pistachios we use grow wild in the volcanic soil of Mt. Etna, the raspberries are hand picked and local. The milk is from a Mennonite family farm, our t-shirts are American Apparel, all coffee is fair trade…  It is so fantastic to work for a company that has business practices you can be proud of, not to mention a product that is flippin’ off the hook!

Seriously, taste and see that Pitango is good!

Hoping to check out the exhibit The Places We Live at the National Building Museum until 15 Nov 09. It features a “multimedia installation” by Norwegian artist Jonas Bendiksen of 4 slums. I wonder if it includes smells.

Ever since I visited a slum in Nairobi in 2002 I’ve wondered if I could manage to live in one. Piles of smouldering trash, the water of the river black and thick like tar. Runny noses and bare feet… But for now we’re enjoying a luxurious basement flat at me mum & dad’s.

I can’t believe we’ve been off the PCT for almost a month!

Bubba Keg & wheels - what more do you need?

In that month we spent a few peaceful days at Wyatt’s home in Wenatchee, Washington before unexpectedly having to fly to LA because my grandparent’s home there had sold in 1 day! There went our plan of living there for a few months! So, along w/my aunt and uncle, we did some blitz cleaning, sorting and packing and loaded up 2 moving vans.

Ironically our cross-country trip through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virgina was almost the exact same length as the PCT. In 5 days of driving we covered the same distance it had taken us 5 months to walk! And even though the road trip offered us luxuries we rarely enjoyed on the trail (unlimited food, hot showers, soft bed, AC), I’ll pick hiking  over trucking any day… that’s sunny.

And since we were rushing to make sure we made it back in time to see Steph & James wed, we didn’t have much time to sight-see.  We did go running in the Petrified Forest and on the AT and we saw E in Nashville, Pete in b’burg. But next time we’re not going to miss the Grand Canyon!

Came across this article about jobless thru-hikers in the Wall Street Journal of all places. But, of course, they say “through-hikers” not “thru-hikers.”

My fave quote:

“Turns out those people tend to be athletic hippies, just looking to have fun forever.”

How right you are, Mr. De Sena!

Day 161 & 162 Our last few days were rainy and blah. In a way it was good because it made us glad we were finishing. Plus we were lucky enough to have the rain stop just before we reached Monument 78 on the US-Canadian border on September 5th. As we approached the boarder all I could think of was that we still had another miserable 8 miles to do to make it back to civilization! But we ended up having a great time at the finish. Two Brits who hiked the AT last year and were hoping to hike the PCT in ‘10 were there and as soon as we rounded the bend, snap, flash – we had a little paparazzi capturing our final steps of a journey that had taken us over 2,650 miles. It was so surreal that it was over.

How can we summarize the 5 months we’d been on the PCT?

It was one of the most

marvellous, miserable,

exhilarating, exhausting,

beautiful, boring,

difficult, delightful,

stressful, serene,

challenging, cheery,

bi-polar adventures of our lives.

… And we’re thinking of hiking the Continental Divide Trail in 2010!