It Rains Snakes In These Parts!

      My vacation would start on a Thursday.  I would drive the 300 + miles to Moab, settle in for the night and get to my agenda on Friday.

       I got into the Moab area around 12:30pm, which was much earlier than I had expected.  I thought I would try a small hike at Dead Horse Point State Park, and turned on the road to go there.


When Reptiles Rain from the Sky

       Moab was going to be full of visitors/ tourists this weekend, so I was surprised when I found myself alone on a road, driving past ruby red sandstone cliffs.....and then THUMP!!!!!! Something hit the hood of my car.  I screamed, lost control of the car, quickly got my hands back on the steering wheel and managed to get to the side of the road where I stopped the car.  I was looking down at my controls, thinking that a rock had fallen from the cliff, and ricocheted off the valley floor on to the hood of my car.  I had the presence of mind to hit the button that puts on my emergency blinkers.  Then I looked up to see what had hit the car.

       More screaming!!! Staring through my window was a rattlesnake, about two feet long.  It was bleeding on my hood and windshield.  It was writhing and had its fangs bared.  The rattle was sounding like angry castanets.  I thought I was going to die of a heart attack right then and there.  But, the Lord knows it is not my time to leave this earthly existence.  Had I not been scared spitless, and had more presence of mind, I would have pulled out a camera.  I had a camera, smartphone, and iPad on my passenger seat.  I can take pictures with all three of them, and this was a great horror picture - but I didn't think of this until the following Tuesday.     

       I have no idea how much time passed.  I was help captive in the safety of  my car while the snake continued to bare fangs and shake its rattle.  To be honest, I am not sure it was alive, if the writhing was not after death involuntary muscle movement.  It didn't occur to me to use my phone to call for help.

      Eventually, a van pulled up behind my car, and two men got out.  One man,  Mike, Nick, or maybe his name was Alan - can't recall - came over to my window.  He saw the snake, and yelled back to his friend to get back in the car, it was a rattlesnake.  "NickAllan" or whoever he was, went back to his van and got a fishing net, the kind with the handle that can be extended.  Telling me to "sit tight" (no problem!), he stood about six feet from my car and netted the snake, which curled up into a coil in the net.  He then did this fascinating move, like a Jai Alai player, and  flung the net overhand so that the snake went flying into the air, and landed way out on the desert floor.

      Then both men got me out of the car to walk out my shakes.  They examined the car, and amazingly there was no denting in the hood.  I opted not to hike that afternoon, and they followed me back into Moab, and saw me safely to my motel, where I checked in pale as a ghost.  I went to my room and stretched out on the bed in an effort to get my heart rate and blood pressure down.

     A few hours later, determined to get back to my vacation, I went to the front desk to get some directions.  One of the clerks had heard about my adventure when I was checking in - I was asked if I felt okay, and had given a brief account.  She told me that young fledgling raptors (birds of prey) often misjudge the weight of animals they attack, and have to drop them.  Her father was a ranger at Canyonlands National Park, and their home was on the Moab outskirts.  They often found dead, or nearly dead animals in their yard.  Some young eagle, falcon, or raven had lost its lunch!  I recalled that "NickAllan" and his friend had said something similar, but at the time it did not register with me.

      My hotel was next to a carwash, where I went to clean the blood off the front of the car.  I then found the restaurant I was looking for, and made myself eat.  I also found a rock shop, which would bring back my excitement about my vacation.

Dead Horse Point State Park

     The following Sunday, determined to see this park, I did as the Mormon hymn "Come, Come Ye Saints" states  Gird up your loins, fresh courage take, our God will never us forsake. Back to the park I went, hoping not to have another snake rain on my parade.  Here is the park:

The water is potash ponds



One of the "goosenecks" of the Colorado River, and the most famous view of this park.



Tourists posing in a dangerous position.  One or two steps back and it is over the cliff!

       On the way home to SLC, I noticed a small crack in my windshield.  I took the car in on Monday to have it check out and filled.  The man fixing it said something like "Darndest rock chip I have ever seen!  It looks like something tried to bite your window!"

A Trip from Reality

     Every October, Utah schools are out for a four-day weekend. It is UEA weekend, when the teachers are supposed to go to the Utah Education Association convention. Many families head down to Disneyland.  Disneyland even has this factored in when vast amounts of Utahns show up.

    I don't want to spend my time in a convention. I have been teaching for nearly 30 years, and I want this weekend to myself.  My goal was to go down to the Moab area in the southeast section of Utah.
Moab is situated between two national parks, various state parks, and other recreational sites.  I wanted to go hiking at Arches National Park.

 

 Moab - A World of Its Own  

 

 

         Moab is a town of about 5,000 or so people.  It was settled in the 1850s by Mormon Pioneers. There is a dispute as to whether name refers to the Moab in the Old Testament (which is located in modern day Jordan), or to the Native American word, Moapa which means "mosquito".

 

          After the uranium boom of the 1950s, the town settled down to become a vacation mecca for those who like to hike, jeep, bike, and ride white water rapids. The place is a draw for tourists from around the world.  There are numerous, hotels, B&Bs, campsites, etc.  The town is also located is some of Utah's harshest wilderness.  One needs to be a hardy person to live in this area.

 

The Idiots in Washington

 

         About two week before my trip, the Government Shutdown of 2013 started.  This shutdown every national park in the United States.

 

Tourists shut out of Zion National Park. She is making the "thumbs down" sign. 

 

 

         Southern Utah is very dependent on tourist dollars as its main source of income.  We have people from all over the world coming here. Angry tourists were diverted to state parks as much as possible, but there was a lot of anger from tourists and residents alike over the national park shutdown.  Utah's own Sen. Mike Lee suggested a compromise: defund the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and the national parks could be opened.  Lee is an idiot supreme and may not get re-elected after that move.  Southern Utah commissioners and sheriffs decided to take matters in their own hands and open up some of the roads in the national parks in defiance of the Congress. Utah Governor Gary Herbert got involved.  Along with the governors of California, Arizona, and Colorado, a deal was struck with Congress that each state would pay the federal government a few million bucks and our parks could be reopened in each of those states.  The states would easily recoup the money from tourists. Also, the rangers would be back on the job to help with anyone who may need assistance.

 

         Knowing there were many state parks to choose from, I never cancelled my plans.  I was very happy that Gov. Herbert got our national parks opened.  So, my original plans were back on track.



 

How We Travel

    
   Again, my posts are out of order.  This post was originally posted between Ode to the Olive and Ostuni, the White Pearl.


I chose to travel with VBT Travel, a Vermont based group that specializes in walking and cycling tours around the world.

How This Works
     We had two guides, Luigi and Fabio. One guide would be the last cyclist of the group, while the other would drive our van. They would switch off these duties every day. The van was there to transport tired cyclists, or those whose bike had broken down.

Luigi to the left, and Mario, prepare a picnic lunch for us in a park in Castro, Italy.

      We would be given a set of directions, and maps, and could leave at our own pace. We all left within 20 minutes of each other. This allows cyclists to ride at their own pace, and we may not all be riding together. For example, on our way back from Monopoli, I rode with a couple, Chris and Robin.  For the first part of the ride Chris was lead, and I was last with the job of shouting out if cars were coming from behind. The roads are very narrow. After a shade break, I was the lead cyclist, and I set the pace.

Every day we would get instructions and would have a meeting to go over them.

        Our bikes are set up with water bottles, map/direction holders, and packs to carry things.


Our Cyclists

Mike and Jennifer - Dividing time between Oregon and Washington, Mike and Jennifer were a party waiting to happen!  We gave Mike the nickname of  "Roadrunner" because he was the fastest cyclist, and usually the first out in the morning.

 

 

Alan and Rosemary -  From New Mexico, this quiet couple were also front cyclists.

 

 

Chris and Robin- Hailing from Minnesota, Chris has his own pub, while Robin teaches school.  It was fun to watch Chris consider all the food we ate. I think he was thinking "Would this work as finger food back home?"

 

 

David and Jean - Wow!  The heroes to all of us, David was 86 and Jean 84 years young!  David cycled every kilometer!

Me- Sometimes I think I need to get a part-time husband to travel with me! Then when we get back home he could go live in his own house!

A Trulli Wonderful Day!

  


  I am not sure what happened, but this post is out of order.  It should be between the posts of Ostuni. the White Pearl and King of the Toilets.


  While I would not be riding this day, this was my very favorite day because I was at last going to see the Trulli of Alberobello, Italy. Our group was shuttled to Alberobello, and I got to ride with Luigi and Fabio!

This empty trullo was for sale - I found the listing while walking around Ostuni.  I asked Luigi and Fabio to stop so I could get this picture.

 

Munchkin Homes

       The Trulli of the Itria Valley are a major draw to tourists around the world.  The whitewashed homes with the conical roofs, and strange symbols have fascinated people for ages.
       For this day's visit, we would be in the hands of Mimmo Palmisano, a trulli historian and restorationist.

Mimmo and his father restore trulli.  His mother has a shop in Alberobello.

        According to  Mimmo, the trulli, (trullo is the singular word), are based on homes in the area of Aran, Turkey. Eastern Italy had long been subject to raids from the Ottoman Empire (Turkey).  In the cases where the Turks actually lost a battle, they had a choice, stay and work for the Italians, perhaps as a servant, or go home and be beheaded for being defeated by Christian infidels!  Mimmo claims Turkish ancestry, and told us that a great many people in Puglia also have Turkish ancestry.
        Trulli are built without mortar, and when the top stone is removed, the cone would come crashing down.  This trick would come in handy when the tax collector came around collecting taxes on a home.  If your home was demolished the taxes would be forgiven!  Since the roofs were easily rebuilt, fooling the taxman, or the local lord, happened - a lot!  Trulli were originally used for storage, or as small barns, with people using them as home much later.  One cone roof meant one room.  The more cones, the more rooms.
       The name Alberobello means beautiful trees.  However, according to Mimmo, this is not the true meaning of the town's name. Bella is the Italian word for beautiful.  Bello comes from the Latin Bellum, which means war. There was, at one point, a Spanish lord over the area.  The poor people built homes in the oak forests, and kept them short enough so that tree cover would hide them, and they would not have to pay taxes. It was learned that the lord was also not paying his fair share of taxes to Spain. When someone from Spain came over to check on this man, the poor people were found out, and they in turn, told on the lord.  This started a small war - Alberobello - war in the forest.  The lord was relieved of his duties, and the people allowed to live in peace.  This is a very simplified abridged version of what Mimmo told us.  Had I been thinking, I would have taken my smartphone, which contains a recording device, and recorded Mimmos entire presentation.

       Today, Trulli are protected buildings. Please enjoy the pictures! Alberobello is protected under UNESCO.

At the top of the cone is the pinnacle.  The design of the pinnacle was the signature of the trullo builder. This is a trullo church.

Looking up into the cone.

The altar is made of a soft limestone.

Alberobello Trulli - yes, people still live in these.

While the outside of a trullo must adhere to certain standards of how it can look, the inside can be quite modern.  There are trulli vacation homes that one can stay in.

I will definitely try to find away back to Alberobello again.  It was a magical day!

The Colosseum

     Ancient Rome - the building that comes to mind is the Colosseum. The building was actually begun in 72 A.D. by Vespasian and completed by his son, Titus in 80 A.D.  Given that these two emperors are famous for bringing hundreds, if not thousands, of Jewish slaves after the sacking of Jerusalem, it should come as no surprise that this building was built by those Jewish slaves.

      The building's true name is the Flavian Amphitheatre, but has always been known as the Colosseum for its size and the fact that it was in the vicinity to the Colossus of  Nero - a huge statue of the emperor Nero. (Which makes me wonder why that statue was still standing, as Nero had been kicked out of Rome and labeled a villain by the Senate.)  Around 60,000 spectators could fill the amphitheater.  There are four stories with Doric, Ionian and Corinthian columns decorating the exterior arches. The fourth story has Corinthian pilasters.  There are 80 arches on the ground floor, of which four were entrances for the emperor and his family and the vestals.  Only the entrance of honor reserved for the emperor remains.  The entrance one went through for admission depended on one's class. Patricians in one entrance, plebians in another.

      Similar to a modern giant stadium, the Colosseum was the origin of the professional gladiators, who were trained to fight to the death - although there had been similar fighting factions/units before the Colosseum was built.  While the killing of Christians had come to high frenzy in the days of Nero in his Ager Vaticanus, this practice was still in place in the Colosseum.  One fact that I did learn while in the Colosseum was that women were not allowed in, unless one was related to the emperor. The killing orgies that took place were for men only. Historians believe that nearly 9000 animals were killed during the first 100 days of celebrations held to inaugurate the amphitheater!  The arena could also be filled with water to stage naval battles! The Colosseum was usually uncovered, but in case of rain, a huge velarium was maneuvered by two squads of sailors belonging to the fleets of Ravenna and Cape Misenum.  These two squads also took part in the naval battles that were staged. (How much water they used, and how they got it in the Colosseum, I never did  learn.)

       The Emperor Constantine, who allowed Christianity, tried to end the gladiator fights, but the Romans did not want to give up their shows.  At the beginning of the 5th century, a monk named Telemachus came to Rome.  One day he entered the stadium and tried to put himself between the gladiators.  He begged the people to give up their bloody and inhumane games.  The crowd hurled insults, sarcasm, and rocks, ultimately stoning Telemachus to martyrdom.  That day the games were brought to an end.

       By the mid-500s, the amphitheater was abandoned. It was used as a cemetery, a fortress, and after the earthquake of 1349, as a quarry for building materials.  The marble that once covered the building was appropriated for the building boom that came during the Renaissance. In order to save what was left of the amphitheater, Pope Benedict XIV (1740-1758) consecrated the Colosseum by setting up a Way of the Cross and raising a cross on the site.  The cross was dedicated to the thousands of Christian martyrs who died in Rome.

 

Note the large plaque with a cross on it.  There is a close up of that area a few pictures down.

Close up of the plaque with the cross.  This is the dedication of the Way of the Cross

Notice the two brides?  Having the Colosseum as a backdrop for bridal pictures is very popular for Roman brides.

This picture shows how the floor would look, and what was underneath, which is where the gladiators and animals
were kept prior to fighting.