Econo Lodge Elkins

We are back safe and sound from our trip to Arequipa and the Colca Canyon. I wanted to tell you what a wonderful travel agency were Inka Fest Travel. They were PERFECT! They took very good care of us - especially after I got sick while hiking out of the canyon! That was a rough day for me. The rest of the trip was great! They are really nice people, too...

Thanks for everything, it was a great trip!

... had some of the strawberry wine that I brought, with roasted marshmallows and Hershey kisses.

Sunday

Slept in some after all that wine the night before :) Made another delicious meal. This one was eggs cooked in a zip-lock baggie; thanks to Billy finding out about this. So easy and tasty and no clean-up! Added the vegetables to them and cheese and made them into omelette's. Had the leftover potatoes and coffee made ...

... food, especially breakfast. Got some salmon hash that came like eggs benedict. IT WAS AMAZING!!!! First night we went to Fellini's and had a bottle of wine. It was really nice!! Definitely partied hard with these guys, although I could not really keep up. Had a blast. On the way down to Duck we stopped by his friend Stephen's.

... nails a couple fish - small guys but admiral given the conditions. Not having a fly rod or knowledge of how to use one, I fire out the rig I use when I fish steelhead in upstate New York . Dave (the guide) has never seen anything like it before. In fact he hasn't seen anyone fish this river without a fly rod in 10 years. I fish for an hour - futile. Ted's got bites all around him. What the fk? Dave grabs my line - cuts my ...

Elaine, Kelvin, Merv,Jeff, Anachie, James, Jesse, Jordan, EmmaKate, Lauren, Josh headed out an hour away to a work site where they moved walls and ceilings, removed a section of flooring and created storage spaces in the attic. Also installed ...

... but New Zealand has rivers just as nice. We did spot some unusual butterflys - a very pretty bright yellow. No other critters spotted yet though. The lady from the office said they occasionally get bears here, and she said yesterday she saw a groundhog by the river - he must have been having a sleep in too, as he wasn't there this morning. After lunch the kids had a good swim and we played horseshoes with them. All in all, a lovely relaxing day.

... through WV. interesting stuff, but got board so ended up cutting it short and went north to check out the Football hall of fame...but it was closed. Just around the corner was a beautiful garden. Check out the video of the JFK memorial. Pretty stuff. Short entry, but not much else to say. Tomorrow Celeveland. -cmart

... ve never seen this, you've missed one of the best (and funniest) commentaries on modern masculinities). I'm still nervous about some of the traveling, and I anticipate missing a plane or something like that, but I've decided I'm going to be calm about any such mishap and realize that I will be able to deal with it and the world will not come crashing down. (You have to realize that I am the kind of person that ...

... to be hard, challenging to my character, exciting, and an experience of a lifetime, but I really need everyone's support and prayers to get me through it, so please leave me your thoughts and comments, for I know that I will love reading them and seeing that you guys care! Well, I guess that is all for now, I'll load some pictures and videos soon. Until then.... see ya later!

... is perfect. The days are filled with lectures (some I have heard already in school), coffee breaks and silly games. Well that is all for today, soon I will be home again and telling everyone about orientation and Mexico. I can't believe I was in Mexico last week! Crazy! peace out ck