Hangin' with some cute chickies in Chi-Town

As some of you may know, I am heading for a little relaxation in the peaceful tranquility of Vermont next week.
So I figured I need to mix things up a bit with a trip to the city for an afternoon of shopping and chocolate. We had a lovely lunch at the American Girl Place. Although some of my dining companions insisted on ordering non-red meat dishes, it was still a lovely atmosphere. After lunch and some shopping, we flew over to the famous Chicago Water Tower for some pictures and then on to the Hershey's store. Wow! Is the smell in that place something else or what! The kids were nice enough to share a kiss or two with me. No, not that kind of kiss, silly readers, but the chocolate kind!
At the last minute, I tried desperately to hitch a ride with the Doubledecker Tours of Chicago. I just wasn't quite ready to leave Chicago. After all, we hadn't even had pizza, or a hot dog, or both! But alas, the chickies held me back and we made our way to the Metra for the trip home.



Next week, it's on to Vermont for a little preview of the Snapdragon Inn in Windsor. Stay tuned!

No trip to Miami for you, Benny!

This is courtesy of my sister, Miss Julie Wells. You remember her, right, Benny? She's the one who took you to Australia.
--------------------------------------------------
Benny better not go to Miami.

When Chickens Go Bad

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/5061058?fr=yvmtf

Choo-Choo

The last leg of our trip was spent in Chattanooga, Tennessee. What fun we had.

First we went to Ruby Falls. It is a natural waterfall, inside a cave, inside mountain! Crazy. I was a little skeptical about the whole thing, I am a little claustrophobic (everyone keeps me in their purses, backpacks, pockets, etc. Who wouldn't be claustrophobic?) but truth be known I really have no choice as to what happens to me on trips. So down in the belly of the mountain I went. Now the first thing that I noticed was it got A LOT cooler! It was about 60 degrees in the cave, and about 95 degrees outside. I'd take the cave any day. The second thing I noticed was that it was beautiful. I've never seen anything like it (not even Busta's apartment compares to this cave).

After Ruby Falls, Riza was feeling good, so we went to the Tennessee Aquarium. Again a great stop in TN! They had two separate sections, a river section, and an ocean section. We decided afterward that the river section was the best.

Underwater Benny

They had real gators too but this one was fine for me.

Proof that I am stuck in pockets

Hanging with my arctic cousin, Chilly.

I did say I was tired of being photographed with dead chickens but this is ridiculous.

Looking up at the sharks.

No, we did not miss having some great food again that night. We ate at Sticky Fingers, or in my case Sticky Feathers. Even the tables were sticky, but the food was great. I ate so fast they couldn't get a picture so I had to settle with a picture of our finished dessert.

I think by day 9 everyone was tired of camping so Sven splurged and got us a hotel room. AHHH clean sheets, and an air conditioner! What more could a chicken ask for?

Benny goes to Georgia

This post should be called "Benny Eats His Weight in Southern Food" but we do some other things too believe it or not.

After our lunch at Paula's ( I still have guilt about that so let's not talk about it) we happened upon Uncle Bubba's Oyster House the next day. Here's a picture of me after eating at Uncle Bubba's... nuff said.

When my food coma finally wore off we went to the beach. I had never seen the Atlantic Ocean so I was really excited. Once I was close to the Pacific but someone chose not to go, so I can't really say I've been there...

Chris was surprised to find Santa sunning himself on the beach that day. He was kind enough to let us take a picture. Now we all know what he does on his "off time". I told him I wanted a passport for Christmas so I wouldn't have to ride in the luggage anymore. He said he would see what he could do but since I am a chicken and all the rules may be a little fuzzy, we'll see come Christmas morning.

I got a little sun bathing in myself, although it was pointless with the SPF 85 Riza slathered all over me. I was worried she was just buttering me up after all the chicken we had a Paula's but she assured me she would not eat a chicken that had been out of the country.

After we left Savannah, we headed to Stone Mountain. It was beautiful there. We got to see, of course, the Stone Mountain, and a granite quarry. The campground was great I played checkers with the kids, and swam in the pool. No pictures of the pool, you do not want to see this in a speedo!
What's this guy looking at anyway?

Tonight we are still in Georgia, but right on the border of Tennessee, so we went into Chattanooga for BBQ at Sugar's Ribs. I don't know why everyone thinks it's so funny to take pictures of me with cooking chicken, it's a little unsettling, as well as rude. I would never find a cannibal colony in Africa and take picture of Sven smiling next to them, it's just not right. The food was delish anyway. We are going to Ruby Falls tomorrow, hopefully hundreds of feet under the earth it will be cooler.

I Hear Paula's Already Married... Bummer

We are finally settled for a few days in Savannah Georgia. It was a very long ride yesterday to get here.

Today we went into Old Savannah and took a trolley ride. It was hot and steamy but everyone survived OK. We all had our Georgia air conditioners (aka paper fans) that were supplied free by the trolley company.

The highlight of the day was eating at The Lady and Son's restaurant in down town. I had heard rumors of the good food and atmosphere, but was very nervous because fried chicken was the main entree on the buffet. The food was to-die-for! Literally!!! I couldn't help myself and before I knew it had eaten a whole piece of *GULP* fried CHICKEN. Does that make me a bad person?

Super Benny Day 1

Well I hitched a ride with Sven and Riza and kiddos to Metropolis, IL.  As most of you know Sven is a HUGE Superman fan and they were going to check out the Superman Festival.  Sven's brother Wes happened to hitch a ride too.  I have to say he did a pretty good job keeping the kids in line, that mostly consisted of feeding them multiple snacks, and watching hours of DVD's.  The ride was long but not too bad only about 4 hours.  We had a little wiring problem on the way down, the lights on their trailer stopped working due to a minor meltdown.  Of course thanks to me everything is back working now (seriously I don't know how they traveled without me before).  

Sven and Riza actually fed me this trip, no one else does.  We had a wonderful picnic lunch at Ft. Massic Park.  After some bad directions from Talulah (the GPS navigator) it took us a little longer to find our camp site then we planned, but never fear Benny saved the day.  I flew ahead and scouted around until I spotted it.  Then it was back to Metropolis for the Festival.  We saw a huge Superman statue, and got to look through the Museum.  There were lots of vendors and yummy food to eat.  

After the Festival we headed back to Kentucky and had a really good dinner out, at O'Charlies, I even had them take a picture to prove that they take better care of me.  

Here's some pictures, we'll post more when we can.

Yosemite - Thursday, April 23rd through Saturday, April 25th

Thursday, April 23rd

I woke up and starting squawking for help because there was a strange man in the room! He was buff, balding, and didn’t look like anyone I had ever met. John and Julie calmed me down by telling me it was their brother, Scott. Apparently, he arrived around midnight. I wouldn’t know; I was sound asleep. He looked like he would snap my neck with one twist of his hands, so I kept my eye on him. It’s always the newcomer that you have to watch out for. The morning was spent showing Scott the sights of Yosemite. We walked through Yosemite village, stopping at the museums and stores along the way. It was very leisurely. There weren’t a whole lot of people in the park, so it was kind of nice not having to squeeze my way through the throngs. It was nothing like the Grand Canyon – that place was packed! After a leisurely time in the village, we all headed back to our room for lunch. Oh, sure … Scott gets lunch, but again I get nothing! I tried to make a mad dash for the door, but John stuffed me in his pocket. As much as I struggled, I couldn’t break through of pocket-jail. I was captured and could do nothing about it. At least he let me see where we were going. After watching them eat lunch and fill up their water bottles, I found out we were going on a hike. Up to the top of a waterfall. How crazy is that? But we boarded the shuttle to the stop for the Vernal Falls trail. And what a fun trail it was! Thankfully, I didn’t have to do the walking, because it was all up hill. John kept up with his brother and sister to about the footbridge at the bottom of the waterfall. Hey, didn’t Julie take a picture of us at that spot? Where’s the picture? (Note from John: I’ll add it later. Don’t get your feathers ruffled!). It was after this spot that the strength and overall health took over for Julie and Scott. John tried his best to stay with them, but once he got to the rocky steps beside the waterfall, all misty and wet and cold and steep, he lost track of his siblings. I thought for sure he was going to give up, but he persevered onward, even though he was one false step towards certain death. It was kind of exhilarating, knowing that we could be dead (either by drowning or a broken neck, it a matter of moments. But soon we were at the top of the waterfall. We rounded a crest of the trail and there it was: the river rushed over the edge, creating the Vernal Waterfall. And there were Scott and Julie, standing up and ready to return. John promptly told them to sit down and chill out while he enjoyed the view. He even had me enjoy the view looking down from the waterfall. Dangling over the fence that separated the drop from him, I was tempted to peck his hand and then fly off into the horizon. But wasn’t sure if the mist would throw off my aerodynamics and instead plunge me into the pool down below, so I refrained. But my poultry instincts almost kicked in. After a time of chilling out at the top of the waterfall, we headed back down the trail. Talk about a test of courage! Before, we were walking up the waterfall, not knowing how far down it was. Now we were walking down it, see the depth and magnitude of it unfold before our eyes. Again, I was glad I wasn’t walking. I had a nice view, though. Once the trio made it to the shuttle, they headed to the pizzeria for dinner. Again, nothing. I think I saw a Sierra Club member at the next table; before I could alert him to the horrid conditions they were putting me in, we left. Tomorrow was the last day in Yosemite, so they had planned on getting up early. Me, I was going to plot their impending doom. Or sleep. Whichever comes first.

Friday, April 24th

Today is our last day in Yosemite. The plan is to do some sightseeing in the morning, return the rental car to the Fresno airport, and then have Scott drive us to Reno, where we will stay the night and fly from tomorrow morning. Got that? Good. And away we go. First stop: Yosemite Falls. The day was much cooler than the rest of the week by about 20 degrees. I was starting to chicken bumps, it was so chilly. Did they offer me a scarf or a cloth to keep warm? Of course not! They proceeded to put on their sweatshirts and then headed down the trail. At least I was somewhat warm in John’s pant’s pocket. As disgusting as that sounds, it wasn’t too bad. And I didn’t get wet from all of the spray that was soaking the rest of them. We did our loop and then headed out towards the park’s entrance/exit. They stopped at another waterfall (Bridalveil Falls) for a quick pic in the rain, and then went up the road. Another stop for a picture with the Yosemite Valley behind them (how many pictures do they need? And was I in any of them? Of course not), and then they headed to the Grant Grove of Sequoia Trees. I had already seen them, so I stayed in the car while John and Julie showed Scott around. Apparently, he had never seen the trees before! They headed back into their cars (me with Scott, Julie with the rental) and then headed to Fresno. Julie returned the car, Scott picked her up, and then we began the long trek towards Reno. First, we had to go through the valley. Fields as far as the eye could. If only I could get out and see what kind of food I could eat … But no, we were on a mission to get to Reno before sundown. Apparently, Scott didn’t want to be driving in the mountains at dark. Up through Donner Pass (where I prayed there wasn’t a lost party of gold prospectors) and then down towards Reno. It was getting towards dusk, so all of the casinos were lit up and blinking their names. Personally, I was exhausted from this trip out west and was ready to go home. Show me to my bed and I’ll hit the hay. Scott pulled into his driveway, introduced us to his sick roommate John (hopefully he doesn’t want any fresh chicken noodle soup) and then we went to sleep. We had to be up bright and early the next morning to get to the airport and check in. I slept peacefully, knowing that a great meal was awaiting me when I got home (hopefully at the Clarks – they feed me well!)

Saturday, April 25th

Well, our vacation is finally over. We’re almost in Bloomington, and what an exciting day it was! First, we woke up and got us some breakfast. Rather, the “humans” did. Again, nothing for me. We move so much that I’m having a difficult time finding a local PETA chapter. But once we get to Bloomington, I’m lodging a complaint for inhumane treatment of me! They finished their dinner, the brother dropped off John and Julie at the airport, we made it through security in Reno, and boarded our plane to Denver. No snow here today; just sunny skies and a 2 hour layover. Time to chill out and relax before we go home to Peoria. Then we boarded the plane to Peoria, of which I got my own seat! Finally! Some respect! Of course, Julie got me in trouble with the stewardess, so I had to be on my best behavior. When we landed in Peoria, the stewardess bid me farewell. I thanked her for a lovely trip. Better be on her good side; you never know when she’ll be my stewardess again! We gathered up our gear, got into the car, and almost made it home when John had a “Home Alone” moment! “Oh my God! I left my camera on the plane!” Julie turned around to go back to the airport, got a speeding ticket en route, and dropped John off at the terminal. He came back 15 minutes later without a camera. Apparently, no one turned it in. I sort of feel sorry for him. All of those pictures (some of them of me) gone; all he has is his memory, which is sketchy at best. At least Julie took some pictures. Which I’m SURE John will post soon. Right, John? Right? Anyway, the trip out West was amazing and fun and hot and cold and strenuous and wet and breathtaking and steep and exhilarating and exhausting and necessary. I love getting back to nature; being stuck in an apartment all day really makes me appreciate the great outdoors. I can’t wait for next trip. Hopefully I don’t make it into any of Paula Deen’s recipes!

Yosemite (April 20th PM thru April 22nd)

Monday, April 20th (PM)

After leaving the brilliant, forested haven of Sequoia N.P., we drove back to Fresno to replenish supplies. John and Julie of course didn’t get me anything to eat, but they did load up on bottled water. Would they actually offer me a drink? Apparently not. And let me tell, the weather was unbearable. It had to be 100 degrees in Fresno! (Note from John: It was 95, actually. But Benny’s a chicken, so he can’t read numbers.) The sun was still out and I was getting strange looks from people at the deli counter. I think it’s time we leave this store and head towards Yosemite, OK? Right guys? Hurry … the guy at the counter has a knife! We left the store quickly and got into our rental (I heard them call it a Hyundai Sonata … Sure, they give their cars last names, but I’m only known as “Benny”! Where’s that PETA number again?) Soon we were headed a different direction (I think it was north) and was going towards a different set of mountains. Again, the scenery looked very similar as before – large valley with sweeping vistas, orange groves, and desert landscape. Then we approached the mountain towns before Yosemite. Of course, I was getting hungry, but did we stop? No. I tried pecking through the window, but it was solid glass. I’ll have to practice my pecking skills to get through that! By the time I had planned my escape route, they had packed me back in a bag and zipped it shut. Crap! Now how am I going to get out? Well, apparently it will be when we get to the first scenic overview in Yosemite. It was absolutely awesome! Stretched out before us was the Yosemite Valley, with the Sentinel Rock on the left, Half Dome In the middle, and Bridalveil Falls on the right. I wanted to fly to the falls and cool off, but John held me down while Julie took my picture. He’s quite the manhandler, that one is. Before I could show him who was boss, though, we got back in the car and headed to our hotel for the night. I’m not sure what John and Julie did, but they left me in the room and went out. I was too tired to trash the room, so I rested my eyes and waited for them to come back. I never did hear them enter. I think they went to get some food and do a little bit of sightseeing? Anyway, I fell asleep early and woke up the next day with the birds.

Tuesday, April 21st

Well, today was a glorious day. John and Julie took me out for a morning stroll in the meadows near their lodge. It was a nice open meadow with an awesome view of Yosemite Falls (Upper and Lower). We rode the shuttle around to get a feel of the park. We rode it all the way back to our lodge. Then we loaded up food and water and headed towards Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Apparently, it’s pretty back country where no one goes. Except for us. We drove on the backroads to get there. I think I saw a California Condor, but we didn’t stop, so I’m not sure. When we got to the lake, there was a dam that we had to cross. Of course, they had lunch. Then John put me in his pocket so I could see the view and we headed off towards Wapama Falls. It was a nice day – sun was shining, a slight breeze, probably 70 degrees. John had trouble keeping up with Julie, but he somehow managed to keep within sight of her. About half way to the falls, we came across another falls. Julie played in the water and John took a picture of me lounging on a rock. It felt good to rest. Where’s that picture at, John? Oh, that’s right – you lost your camera. Too bad. (Note from John: Benny, that’s not funny. I hope you got a good price for it when you sold it!) Anyway, we trekked on and ended up at the waterfall. It was misty and cold and refreshing and awesome. I played in it for a little while, and then John and Julie figured it was time to head back. I was sad, but I understand it was just a short little jaunt. Once we made it back to the park, John and Julie took me to dinner. They had pizza, and again I had nothing. I’m beginning to think this isn’t a trip, but a fat camp in disguise! I’m not FAT! FEED ME!! But my cries went unheard. As we headed back to camp, dusk set in and the night sounds started taking over. The waterfall was a steady roar, the birds were chirping, and the car alarms were going off? Turn off your alarm, stupid! We went back to the room, Julie booked a whitewater rafting trip for her and John (I declined … I didn’t want to get my feathers wet) and then we went to bed. All in all, a very eventful day.

Wednesday, April 22nd

John and Julie went white water rafting. I did not. They came back and we went to sleep. (Note from John: Benny is upset because he didn’t get to do anything on this day. Is it my fault that he didn’t want to go rafting with us? Anyway, he’s cranky because of this. Hopefully his mood is better tomorrow, as my brother has just showed up – at midnight! – and we’re hiking a lot tomorrow!)

Frantic phonecall

The following is a transcript of a phonecall received on June 6, 2009, at 10 p.m.
Kathy: Hello?
Benny: Hey there, gorgeous swan! This is Benny.
Kathy: Uh, hi there, Benny. What's up?
Benny: Well, not much. Just the sky.
Kathy: You sound like John, Benny.
Benny: Do NOT compare me to that lazy beast! I am nothing like him! I would have already finished posting the California trip. I would have already put up the pictures.
Kathy: I'm sorry, Benny. I didn't mean to insult you.
Benny: (feathers deruffling) Oh, I can never stay angry with you for long, you delectable oriole!
Kathy: (feeling slightly uncomfortable) O-k then. What can I do for you anyway?
Benny: Actually, I was calling you about J- I mean, he who will not be named. I've been trying to get him to finish the trip story, but nothing is working. I've tried bribery, cajoling (yes, cajoling!), and threats. None of my efforts has been successful.
Kathy: What do you expect me to do? You know he never listens to me. Even during a phone conversation, he only 1/2 listens.
Benny: Can't you do something??? I'm desperate here!
Kathy: Have you tried asking Sven/Chris? He sees J- at work, maybe he can beat him into submission, chain him to his keyboard, or something.
Benny: That wouldn't work. He'd just log into Facebook and play WordTwist all night.
Kathy: True. Well, I won't be down there for a couple weeks, so there's not much I can do.
Benny: I guess that leaves me only one option.
Kathy: What's that?
Benny: I'll have to call in the Big Canary to lean on him a little.
Kathy: The Big Canary? What's he, the head of organized bird-dom?
Benny: Yes. I'm sure you know him. He hangs out on the street quite a lot.
Kathy: Um, would that be Sesame Street?
Benny: Why, yes! One lean from the Big Canary, and J- will never question my authority over him again!
Kathy: Benny,
Benny: Yes, my little pigeon of delight?
Kathy: You scare me!
--------------------------------
John, I'm asking you as a friend- PLEASE FINISH THE CALIFORNIA TRIP SO I DON'T GET ANOTHER CALL FROM BENNY! HE SCARES ME!

Benny cracks the whip!

Benny: John!
John: (wakes ups from catnap) Whaa???
Benny: Didn't we go to Yosemite, too?
John: What?
Benny: You've only finished half of our trip to California!
John: So?
Benny: So, you better finish it, or I'll claw your eyes out and peck a cross into your tongue.
John: That sounds painful.
Benny: TYPE!!!
John: All right, all right. Let me wake up first.
Benny: NO SLEEP FOR YOU!!!!

Pre-trip and Sequoia (April 17th – April 20th AM)

Friday, April 17th,2009

Today John and Julie were up before the birds (aka – me). John looked like death with a hangover; it was not attractive. Thankfully Julie was driving to Peoria, because I’m sure I would’ve ended up in a ditch somewhere. And it may have been near Springfield, for all I know! He was looking really out of it, I tell you. Anyway, from what I gathered, the plan for today was Bloomington to Peoria to Minneapolis to Denver to Fresno to Sequoia N.P. All before dinner time! Thankfully they were able to smuggle me onto the planes, because I don’t think that my little wings would be able to fly that long. So I’ll be “flying” a different style.

We made it to Minneapolis without a hitch. However, the tram between terminals was down, so John and Julie had to walk the length of about 2 football fields to get to their next gate. Again, I just hitched a ride in one of their bags. Did I mention how accommodating they were? Well, outside of feeling claustrophobic and having to stare at John’s underwear for the entire trip, I was fine. (That’ll be an interesting therapy session for me!) When we got to Minneapolis, we were a little concerned about our flight to Denver, as they were expecting a snowstorm. In April. I’m so glad I live in the Midwest, where it only rains in the spring. Granted, I need an ark to get around town, but still. (I wonder who my “mate” for the 2-by-2 parade will be for that day? Maybe ? I can only hope!) I digress. We boarded our plane to Denver and headed out. No word on whether we would be snowed in at Denver International Airport. I hope not … Stranded people equal hungry people, and they usually go after the animals for food. Time to make myself small! We landed in Denver during a torrential downpour. That’s right – downpour. Not blizzard, like we were all expecting. But buckets of rain. Too bad I didn’t have my travel ark … I could’ve rowed us to California! But we landed in the rain and waited for the other (snow) shoe to drop. John was doing the rain dance at the gate; that, or he really had to pee. I never can tell with him. Finally, the announcement came: we were LEAVING!!! Good-bye, rainy Denver. Hello, sunny California! And, boy, was it sunny. And HOT! It was 90 degrees when we landed. I molted half my feathers when I got off the plane. I also saw a guy with a white, pointy beard and a cane giving me a strange look. I made myself even smaller, as I had heard stories of “The Colonel”. He was a very bad man in the poultry community. Thankfully, John and Julie were getting a rental car so we could elude “The Man”. And then we headed out into the country, towards the mountains. Past vineyards and orange groves and almond trees. Irrigation ditches and sweeping vistas stretched for miles towards the mountains. And then we had to go up them. And up them. I didn’t look out the window, for fear that I would get vertigo and throw up. Julie was an excellent driver, but the twisty, steep roads … with NO GUARDRAILS!!! … were a bit unnerving. And then we hit the levels with the wildflowers. All sorts of colors: purple lupines, white flowers, orange flowers, blue flowers, yellow flowers (I could only distinguish the lupines). Mountainsides were a kaleidoscope of colors. And then we left that region and came to the zone where snow mingled among the rocks and trees. This would be the level we would stay in. Thankfully, it wasn’t too cold. Probably around 60. I can handle this for the entire trip.

Then we entered Sequoia National Park, our home for the next 3 days. We took a wrong turn and missed our lodge. It was probably a good thing, because then we got to see the sequoias. Very red wood, glimmering in the late afternoon sun. I would’ve loved to stay at fly amongst the giants, but Juile and John were getting cranky because they hadn’t found their lodge. Oh, and they were hungry. Must find food .. otherwise, they’ll eat me. Turn the car around! They did, and went back towards the entrance and tried the other road. This one led them to their lodge and a restaurant and a general store and a visitor center. Basically, everything they needed. Crisis averted! They checked in, ate dinner, unloaded their luggage in their room, and promptly fell asleep. Talk about a hectic day! And I basically hitched a ride for the entire day!

Saturday, April 18th 2009

Today, John and Julie decided to go exploring some of the park. They started out their day by getting a few items in the store (Pepsi for John, water for Julie, nothing for me!) and then headed towards Hume Lake. What an awesome drive it was! Still scary, because it was basically a one-lane road heading towards the lake. But on our left was the Sierra Nevada mountain range. How imposing and majestic it was! All snowcapped peaks and rocky outcropping. And it’s basically a giant wall. How the settlers got through it, I’ll never know! I could fly over it and settle anywhere I wanted, but I’m a bird, and humans are humans. That’s my wisdom for today. Again, I digress. We wound our way down the road to Hume Lake, a little village right on the lake. There was a convention going on while we there, but we were able to take a hike around the lake. We saw waterfalls and mountains in the distance and a dam and John took a picture of me on the shore. Where’s the picture, John? (from John – Benny, don’t make me hurt you! You know what happened to my camera; you’re probably the one who took it! Bad Bird!) That took the morning to do, so we headed back up to the giant grove of sequoias we had seen on the way down. We stopped at one trailhead, where John and Julie had lunch. (None for me – Apparently I’m on a diet? Although I’m never hungry; I’m always stuffed. I haven’t figured out how that works?) Once they were done with lunch, they hiked the trail. Which wound down, and down, and down, through snowbanks galore. Eventually, Julie suggested they turn around. They went off the trail, took a picture in a meadow (with bear “scat”) and then headed up the trail. I was with John, who is so slow he makes a turtle like a speed racer. I tried pecking at his butt to get him to move, but was in his own world and nothing would get him to move faster. He’s very stubborn, that one. Once they got back to the car, they headed to the Grant Grove of big trees and wandered around with Ruth the Ranger. She was from Mexico and kept calling me a “loco pollo”. I think that means sacred bird? Anyway, she explained where the sequoias come from (little seeds that look like birdseed, but don’t take anything like it – I tried) and why some trees have names (apparently, the first ranger was bored and would name the trees). It was very informational, even if her accent was thick. When they were done with that trip, they had dinner and then went back to the lodge. I played some Scrabble with John and I also beat him at Connect Four. He’s not the smartest bulb in the box! Then they went to bed. I don’t even think the sun had set yet. They really are getting their workout!

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Today John and Julie woke up and did the same thing they did as yesterday, but with a different destination. They went to the store, where John bought a Pepsi, Julie bought some water, and I bought nothing because they didn’t give me any money. Then they went to the other portion of the park. Here, they wandered through a big meadow of sequoias, where I had my own sit-in! I will not continue on until you feed me! Of course, they picked me and didn’t feed me. I’m calling PETA! Then they went to Beetle Rock and had lunch. I got to watch them eat it. PETA!!! Then they walked to Moro Rock. It was really high up there and really steep. But the view was phenomenal! I wanted to fly away from the enslaving humans, but they stopped me before I could soar away. Soon I’ll be on my own. Soon. After the Moro Rock hike, they went looking for a restaurant to eat at. And they couldn’t find one! Karma is your friend. Eventually they went back to the restaurant by their lodge. They weren’t keen on it (food was dry, service was horrible, etc.), but at least they got to eat. What have I had this trip? A sequoia seed that tasted horrible! Feed the chicken! Of course, they didn’t hear me and instead started out on a hike to Panorama Point. It was 8:00 before they got back (they didn’t take me … apparently, I’m not allowed to see any more breathtaking views). Apparently, the sign was wrong, because they were nowhere near the point when they turned around. We’ll try it in the morning, Julie said to John. John rolled his eyes. I knew he didn’t want to do it, but I also knew that Juile is a taskmaster and will make John do anything she wants to do. She was a drill sergeant at one, I heard. Note to self: Get on Julie’s good side by making John look bad. I went to sleep, dreaming up a plan to get food.

Monday, April 20th, 2009 (AM)

John and Julie were up early the next day. Not as early as the birds, who I had asked nicely to chirp as loudly as they could outside their window at 4 AM. Apparently, John’s a heavy sleeper. Bummer! Must come up with another plan to make John look bad. They headed out for Panorama Point before they headed out of the park for Yosemite. I got to with them this time – woohoo! It was a steep climb, with lots of curves. The last part of the road was snow-covered, so I felt like a penguin in those parts. Eventually, John made it up (Julie was a speck in the distance by the time we made it up there). The view was worth it, though, because we got an uninterrupted view of the Sierra Nevada. And we had the place all to ourselves. It was very peaceful, if not a little cold because of the snow. But the snow was what was keeping the people away. It was kind of creepy, though, hearing all of the snow melt overnight. I need an inflatable ark. Now. Julie and John headed back to room, loaded up their gear, and headed down the mountain to Fresno and Yosemite. I enjoyed Sequoia because it was quiet. Everything made me feel so small. If only I could fly up to the top of the trees for a view unparalleled on the ground. But alas, my wing strength isn’t what it used to be. I’ll have to see how the view are in Yosemite; maybe I’ll be able to fly to Half Dome? Only time will tell!

Sequoia/Yosemite April 2009 - The Teaser

We begin our journey with a man, a woman, and a bird. We’ll call them John, Julie and Benny. The time: 3:45 AM. The mission: get to the Peoria Airport by 5 AM. The destination: California. Would they make it? What obstacles would be in their way? What adventures would they get in between Bloomington and Peoria? Would they be cold or hot when they got to California? Stay tuned to find out.

Benny: Umm, John. What was that?
John: It was a “prologue”. Look it up. Or maybe a “teaser”. I’m not sure which one.
Benny: Well, whatever it was, it sucked.
John: But, umm, well …
Benny: Just tell the story of our trip, would you? Before I peck your eyes out.
John: Aye, aye, Cap’n Benny!
Benny: (stares down John with scary red eyes)