Old or Lazy?

I decided to continue this year's hiking by going to Bob Creek this past weekend, with the hope that I can finally go up Thrift Peak. It seemed easy but I didn't succeed, again! That was my forth attempt! before getting to the story, I have to say that I asked this question from myself, on my way back: Am I getting lazy or old?! 

Then I answered myself by saying:

1) I had not hiked in a remote area for such a long time. So for that reason my confidence level was low. If anything happens to someone in the area, while hiking, the chances that he survives is very slim because:

    a) There's no cellphone coverage.

    b) There are not many hikers in the area

    c) The closest clinic is probably the one in Diamond Valley which is 01:30 hours away

2) I put my safety boots(!) on which felt comfortable and nice at the beginning but after more than an hour I felt its weight! It's a little big for me which means it's okay to wear them at work but not for a +07:00 hours hike!

3) I am always organized and make a list a few days before my hike. I forgot my sunglasses on the day and it happened to be a very sunny and beautiful day.

With that said, I work up at 04:30 and headed out drove slowly to south. I had rented an SUV the night before, considering my own vehicle is not in a shape to be driven that long. Driving a new vehicle in early morning cold and dark day for someone with low self-steam means driving around 80 Km per hour! I stopped at a McDonald's for a coffee in Okotoks and that was the second problem! Why, you might ask. Because coffee helps to go to bathroom, particularly for someone who had some Eggplant (Aubergine as the British would say) dish the night before! I was about to explode until I finally pulled over into Chain Lakes Provincial Park! 

This pair of paws print look really real. I just don't understand why a bear would walk on a trail on such a low elevation!

By the time I reached the parking lot of the hiking area, it was almost 08:30, I think. It took me one hour extra! There was only a truck there and later was joined by another who happen to be a group of three hunters who took a different trail than I did. 

I had taken the trail more than a year ago with Stout accompanying me which lead to its own story so I knew where I was going. However, in order to be sure and not get lost again(!) I had my GPS handy and had bought a pack of four rechargeable batteries for it, the night before. The weather was not, only a little windy and there was no one but one I finish my way north and started heading west to get top the point that I would reach the trail marked on the GPS map, I realized something like a Bear's footprint! Why did I say it looked like a paw print because out of 10 or more that I saw only a couple looked real. One might ask what that means?! It means that I suspect someone wanted to joke with people and made fake paw prints because bear usually do not appear at such a low elevation and certainly not on a trail! I kept going with the hope that it was a silly joke but kept my eyes open. By then I had waked for nearly an hour and half and crossed the creek once but then I realized that I had to cross again and this time it was not easy! The water was deep and I had become tired! My boots were bothering me and my backpack felt heavy. My eyes was hurt because of the sun and my skin started burning! I wasted nearly half and hour wandering around the creek to find a spot to be able to cross it and eventually went back to the first spot and here is the interesting part: I tripped over a branch and took a dive head first but contained myself and only injured my knee a little bit! Then after crossing the creek I decided to go back!  

There's not much to say about the hike back to the parking lot rather than the fact that I hated the safety boots more! The entire hike took about  03:52 hours and there I promised myself to get back next week.

(Photo, top: This looks like a beaver-made dam on the creek)

The Pleasure of being the Mediator

I've finished my 7th months on the new job just recently. I most of the time enjoy my work but like any other position, there are issues: 1) Idiots that you need to tolerate 2) Idiots whom you need to train 3) Idiots who insist on their idiocy ... and other idiots! Many companies have now made a long lunch break as part of their schedule. So a whole hour is a waste, for me. Many go to local businesses or home and some have their lunches at work. I, most of the time, work. Without caring that it is unpaid. I think the company appreciates it but there are times that you do not work alone. There are many times that you do not work alone and you need to work with others. It cannot happen during that 1 specific hour. I also am too far from work and not only waste a lot of time on the road but also pay a lot for gasoline and it's particularly really bad now that the it has gone up to ¢158.9 for a litter.  
But there are parts of the job that I certainly enjoy. I certainly don't show that, most of the time, because that is base on other people's silly mistake and I, most of the time, rub it to their faces but that is part of my job: Find other people's fault and ask them to fix it. At times I become a mediator: A fault is found by a party and known to me, I do the paperwork part of the work and notify the person who has made the mistake. There are times that the guilty(!) party opposes to that and argument starts. I have to listen to the both sides, either when they both are present or individually. The latter is the most enjoyable! I take the person's side when I'm listening to him and criticize the one who has started the complain. When this is over and I am listening to the guilty fella, I show my sympathy and indicate how insignificance the problem is, emphatically! I am firm though and I try my best to get what I want and that is doing the right thing. 

The guy whom I report to is a careless and calm guy. At least this is what I've noticed about him so far. He in fact the cause of the majority of the issues. If you do not care and you're on the top, then what can you expect from the others, especially the young ones who form most of the company? 

I am going to stick around and watch my back until I either am called by the Government or find something better, both in terms of salary and working conditions and if I have to stay, then my goal is to leave in four or five years and preferably find a job south of the border. I don't think it's impossible. 

(Photo: I didn't have any photograph to put here to be considered related to the post do I decided to sue this picture that I took, I think, a couple of weeks ago, when I was leaving a Real Canadian Superasshole location. Mobil, an American petroleum company, has been active in that supermarket's parking lots for years and has, usually, the highest gasoline price in the province. I have never bought my fuel from this gas station and never will. Not that anyone cares)

More on Palm Springs

I did not have much time to spend in Palm Springs despite the fact that I missed my main planned hike because of the storm but looked around a bit and was really impressed by its beauty. Big beautiful houses surrounded by flowers and tropical threes so dense that you could not even see the building! I always thought that southern California is very dry and in fact it is but I was there in the wet season! 

However, similar to other rich cities, it cannot survive without the poor. There are rows of rundown townhouse close to the airport where, of course, the low-income earners live. It doesn't necessarily look horribly ugly but you can tell, easily by a glimpse. Obviously where the poor shops is different from the healthy and rich does! Dollarama and Wal-Mart, both, apparently, linger at a corner of the town and other businesses are available for people who don't look at their receipt once it's handed to them. Some even refuse to get it! I have written about the a few of the supermarkets in the town as food and dwelling are the most basic. 

The front of the hotel 

I sometimes get tired of the cold here and I would like to add, emphatically, that I even think of moving somewhere to the south of the border. It's the 20th day of April and it's freaking cold and when I say cold, I mean uncomfortable cold! The freaking QE II was frozen at parts and I not only saw a few wrecked trucks and other vehicles, but also was about to have a nice roll over near my destination, the day before! I was not able to the photos of the road but what happened was that the right lane had two frozen straight lines parallel to each other, where your vehicles tires stand and you drive on those ice sheets(!), for a few short kilometers, near Penhold, I think l was, I lost the control for a second and was thrown to left lane forcefully! My heartbeat went up so fast but I was able to control the vehicle in the last minute! I only was lucky that there was no vehicle trying to pass me or I would have had hit them and perhaps was in a hospital now, if not dead! 

So with that said, you see why I would like to move so deep to rid of this 7-month long winter, after 20 years I have been living here! It mostly got into me now that I drive on QE II regularly now. I think if I move somewhere close to work, that desire diminishes, automatically! 

You can find something acceptable in Palm Springs for nearly US $300,000. If someone lives in that town and installs solar panels for his Tesla (That's the EV I would buy!), they could get a job anywhere in the state and they will be alright. I think if I plan for the hike of Mt. San Jacinto again, I will go to Palm Springs and will stay there but not in Renaissance Hotel, it's just so expensive for me! It cost me more than CAN $800 for two nights and I don't even know if breakfast was included but I don't thinks it was. I was comfortable there. No noise and no crooks but the bed and the pillow were awful and uncomfortable for me, at least. I like a hard pillow and mattress not the one that you sink into it! The hotel is beautiful but failed to impress me. One of my plans was to see one of the date farms but I cancel that before going. I bought a small box of date though for a reasonable price of US $4.99 and it says it's organic. Southern California has a lot to offer but also has horrible stories about homelessness but I will stay away from those places for sure. 

(Photo, top: I don't think Gucci's owner lives in Palm Springs but I don't have an explanation why it's name and logo is seen on the wall of this house! Maybe a vacation home?)

Weird Routes

I decided to have a hike in Utah, after getting caught in a California storm, a couple of weeks ago. I did a nice hike in southern Utah back in 2014. This time I wanted to do a mountain. The only problem is May still is not a good time for hiking in high elevation. Lots of snow.

I wish it was the only problem! 

I didn't find a good flight to Salt Lake City in any of the available airliners. It seems that the state is not a popular destination to Albertans! Or perhaps I shall say southern Albertans. Both the major airlines take weird routes to get to the destination. In other words, they drop you where they want to go and leave you in the hands of another airline and you will have to wait a long time, at time! 

Same thing happened when I was trying to go to Albuquerque back in 2021 and I ended up in Houston by changing my entire trip plan!

(Photo: WestJet goes to Los Angles and then delivers to an American Airliner who will took you back to Salt Lake City in Utah!)

Indian Canyon and some Businesses in Palm Springs

 My third goal in my short southern California trip was a native land which has been partially turned to a park: Indian Canyon. I was one of the first vehicles entering the park, considering it was Sun. and everyone was still asleep! This place has several trails is is surrounded by mountains by unfortunately I didn't have enough time to spend there. Rain was another issue which started after almost 1 hour to an easy hike. I decided to go back as I don't like this sort of nerve racking situation, especially because my flight had been scheduled for the afternoon and had to be there in the airport 2 hours ahead of the flight which is most of the time unnecessary!  
The other problem was the vehicle. My rental, despite being a good brand and good model had a problem and I don't want to name the renting company because that was not certainly their fault. It seemed to be a problem with either the battery or the starter, although it could've been anything else as the new vehicle have computer and electronic systems. The pick up truck refused to turn on and it happened at least 4 or 5 time when I went here and there, especially when I left the park to get something to eat. 

I checked 4 businesses during my short stay: Ralph's, Jensen's Finest Food, Stater Bros Market, Koofi and one convenience Store which I don't recall its name. It was interesting to me that a small town has three different brand of supermarket and that is in addition to Wal-Mart that these days you can see in any North American city, if not everywhere in the world! 
The quality and price of the said stores are sorted from the top to bottom, in case you end up in Palm Spring and would like to buy something:

 
1) Jensen's Finest Food: It truly is the finest. If you drive something less than a VW SUV, you'd better not go to this store! Most of the vehicles I saw there, were either high-end models of top brands or today's EV that not everyone is able to afford. Everything is top quality and priced accordingly. I just bought bar for some $4 and that was good. I think it was on sale or something.

2) Ralph's: It's part of Kruger family. It was jammed pack the first time I was there and prices were reasonable. However I only bought to small pieces bread for $1!

3) Stater Bros Market: It looks like a place that mostly Hispanic, Black and lower income people would go there. I didn't buy anything, not because it looked cheap. I simply didn't find anything appealing. 
Now going to Koofi which seems to a major coffee brand in Palm Spring, was a disappointing experience for me. It seems that the franchise has at least 3 locations in the town but whether they have other ones in California or elsewhere, I don't know. 

How hungry should you be to eat this so-called wrap? The price is in US Dollars and it is presented in one of the Koofi location in Palm Spring, California. There are people who make only a few dollars more after working 1 full hour and there are people who spend way more than this on a lunch or breakfast without wondering. I'm neither of them and despite the fact that I totally understand today's inflation and cost of running a business, I can't eat something like this, no matter how hungry I am.

I checked out the one close to my hotel as it was only 5 minutes walk. It's a small place with tables outside as well. The first thing is they close at 17:30 or something, assuming people don't drink coffee at that time of the day but they could have extended their menu to have longer hours. The other thing is despite the quality of the coffee which is good but not superb, they have a limited menu with skyrocketing prices! One thing must be added here is that apparently taxes are high in this town because I also saw that a medium glass of Orange Juice in McDonald's cost nearly $4! So, it shall be consider that California and specifically Palm Spring are expensive places. 
Palm Spring is such a beautiful place and had I done my hike, I would have enjoyed my trip much more. Not to mention that the continuous rain was really nerve racking when it was coming down. Will I go there again? If I plan for San Jacinto, I thing PSP is the closest unless Alphonse says he would join and agrees to drive from LAX.

(Photo, top: Palm trees in Indian Canyon in southern part of Palm Spring on an Indian Reserve)

One Failed and one Passed

This damn CWB Level I Inspector closed book examination, the one out of three that one shall write to be come such an inspector has become a major problem for me. It's not that the reading material is very hard. It's just too much and I have neither time nor the mode to focus and finish the damn things. I did once and that was when I was laid off last summer but just week before the exam. I was offered this job and I cancelled the exam!
The postponement lead to another delay and I finally wrote it before my trip to California and the result came after I came back from the trip: I had failed 2 out of 3! The closed book, I can understand because it's a long 75-question examination which requires to cover 5 booklets but the damn practical examination is not hard. Nevertheless I have no choice rather than writing and doing the exams again.
The other exam., though, was successfully defeated. The XRF Level I Certificate gives one the permission to operate the Fluorescent Positive Materiel Identification handset under the certification issued by Natural Resources Canada, a subsidiary of the Government of Canada, of course. This was not such a hard exam. either but one shall still study and my trick for that was to ask my manager to give us time to perform a Group Study session. It work particularly because the long weekend before exam., which was unintentionally selected was spent in California! Mon. is usually a busy day because you come back after two day and this time the return was after three days! So the only time I had for preparation, after nearly 10 days of barely looking at the material was Tue. morning, before the exam. but because the hours spent in the Group Study was positive and effective, I was able to pass by 76.6% while I needed at least 70%. It's not a good score but it is a pass. So now I will have to worry about the Level II exam., only! The satisfactory part was the success of a fella worker. He had failed once and when we came out of the exam. room together, knowing that we both have passed, he shock my hand and thanked me. That was rewarding.

(Photo: A newer model of fluorescent analyzer. This small piece of machinery is used to analyze soil, alloys and mineral, in case you did not know)

Caught in a California Storm

 

I tried to go to sleep early and set the clock at. I think 05:30 or something but sleeping was not so easy. These hotels, all of the, no matter how much you pay, the majority of them have no comfortable bed. I paid over US $250 for each night at Renaissance Hotel and despite its cleanness and being nice, both the mattress and the pillow where uncomfortable. The blanket was no better. You would expect a hotel in that price range to be different from Travelodge or Motel 8! Signs of storm was seen at night but I didn't mind it and got out early in the morning. I don't even remember whether or not I got coffee or where I got it but I headed north and that was where I saw so many flashing lights! I went" What the hell is all these. It was raining and it got heavier when I hit I-10 East. It didn't take long to realize that I had make a mistake in two senses! 

1) A rainstorm on the road means a snow storm in the mountain! 

2) I-10 East is not a good road for a driver like me who barely gets close to 20 miles hour bellow the posted speed limit and is heavily dependent on the highway signs and an old GPS! 

I decided to stop for a coffee at a McDonald's and then turned back! By the time I got back to the town it was 07:30 or something or perhaps I shall say that I don't remember. Then I decided to try going to Joshua Tree National Park and the first time I ended up Desert Hot Springs(!) and came back realizing that the GPS is not updated. It was nothing but waste of gasoline, time and money, of course. I eventually got myself into I-10 West and hoped to get to the said park. Not a chance! There were problems!

The hotel's parking lot. Such a beautiful place. Not jam packed at this time of the day

1) There was construction alongside the road and lanes were limited. 
2) You would think you're in desert and all you have to drive in is flat road. Wrong! Big trucks had difficulty going up the hills and there was a backup!
3) The rain was pouring down and was driving me nuts! Nothing bothers me more than driving in heavy rain where I have to have the wipers on, constantly and listen to the annoying noise!
4) Further up the hill, I realized why there was a backup! A Highway Patrol had pulled over an speeding asshole and the entire left lane was blocked! 
I eventually reached the park but then decided to back(!) because it meant nothing to get out in heavy rain! 
So entire days passed by driving around Palm Spring area, eating snacks and taking a few pictures! What would have I done, had I stayed home?!(Photo, top: Rainbow over Road 86. You think the storm is done but I went back to I-10 East again and it was the same!)

Palm Springs Air Museum: A True Gem

The year 2023 was finished with only one hike and that was a failed attempt! So, I decided to make 2024 a productive year and for that I planned for my first hike in southern California, Mt. San Jacinto near the town of Palm Spring. I contacted Alphonse who lives a little over 2 hours from the town and his answer was that he couldn't join because it was Easter! He added that he had invited his relatives over! What an asshole! I don't know why I still hang out with this rat filth! Every time we have a hiking plan he either chickens out or screws it up on the trail! I know why I still hang out with him! First of all he's a good company, although not a good hiker. Secondly I feel bad that I haven't paid my dues. I owe his a fare amount of money.

With that said, I flew to Palm Spring International Airport in a cold and snowy Alberta morning but when I reached there it was nice and sunny. I got my rental, a Toyota Tacoma and the first thing I did, as I had planned was checking into Palm Spring Air Museum. Now here is the thing you need to know: Not many people visit museums these days, especially if they're going to a sunny and nice town in southern California and not many people would like to work in museums. So, a place like that is heavily dependent on volunteers and the elderly. 

I walked in and there were two old men at the counter, at least 70 years old! One of them had tubes coming out of his nose, meaning he was probably using an Oxygen tank! I have nothing against the gentlemen and I'm not teasing them or anything but why a nation cannot be able to preserve their history by maintaining a museum? The admission is $23 which was completely fine by me but when I handed the money to him, he missed one of the Dollar bills! So I had to gave it grab it from the counter and handed it to him! 

The one who greeted me, handed me a brochure and told me how to navigate through the museum was an old lady and she could not be less than 70 as well!

This F-117 is known as Black Devil is on display in Palm Spring Air Museum. I was afraid to touch it but when I did I realized that it has a foamy coat on the top of the actual metal structure, perhaps to help it to avoid radars. It was difficult to get a good shot due to both the length of the airplane and crowd but I had a few good ones, including this. I had a short discussion with the gentleman attendant there, possibly a volunteer, in the hanger and at the end he told me to get a panorama! And I did and it turned out great! It would not have happened, had he not told me. The shot is not seen here, of course but thank you sir for your help!

The museum has different section which is divided based on different timeframes that there was a conflict such a Vietnam War and then there's a large open space that a number of airplanes and helicopters are displayed and that's how you make a museum! You gather all of old and out-of-service airplanes in one location and there you go! You have a museum! The only thing left is to gather a few small things and you're complete! But the museum has more than that and it will be an experience of life-time. For me seeing MiG 21, A6, F-14 and other fighter planes and alike and reading about them was a great experience.

But the highlight of the day was seeing an F-117 on display, one of the only 64 that has ever built! The story of F-117 is a long one but there're a few interesting segments here:

1) The F-117 design and test program started as early as 1980's. Many tests took place in town of Tonopa where I visited in late 2022 and had another failed attempt! I will go back there to hit the summit. Nevertheless the plane was mainly known during the Operation Iraqi Freedom or Desert Storm, the one that the bastard Saddam called Westerns in Arabian Desert! 

2) Despite being considered Stealth, one F-117 was shot down during the Yugoslav War. The story of that is very interesting and too long to be said here. 

3) The plane is retired now and is only used for training purposes!

(Photo, top: A MiG 21, one of the earlier developments of Mikuyan-Gurovish Soviet/Russian aircraft manufacturer on display in the open space of Palm Spring Air Museum. This most likely has brought back to the US from Vietnam)