LSA News

No. 42, May 2002

Road-Tripping

by Liesl Vorderstrasse

This is a journal I kept on a 5-week road trip through the western U.S.

June 8 We left yesterday at 11:30pm. We traveled I-84, camped, and today to Walla Walla, which is a nice little college town. The area surrounding has rolling hills and farmers grow rape, some of which is in bloom. The total effect is a patchwork of yellow flowers, apple green grass, and darker green crops. It is really beautiful.

June 9 We are in Giant Brewing Brewpub in Helena, MT. The mountains in MT have not been real high, but very pretty. The trees are shorter than what we're used to and there are meadows that are very green. Downtown Missoula is quaint. We went to Iron Horse Brewpub where pints are $2.50! However, Brian was not impressed with the quality. He is keeping stats on the beers he tries, the car mileage, what we eat for dinner, etc. and seems very enthusiastic about it. Montana is really beautiful and laid back. There are almost no cars and drivers are really polite. There has been the occasional thunderstorm and when you are always out in it, it can be a little inconvenient.

--Later--

We went to the Helena Ranger Station and found out that the Madison Mts. are still really snowy, so we decided to go to the Big Belt Mts., which are not as high, but we have a good chance of seeing mountain goats. The scenery has flattened out a bit, but I believe I can see the Crazy Mts. to the south.

June 11 The night of the 9th was a wild one. The wind blew so hard I thought the tent was going fly off the side of the mountain. I kept having dreams that concert announcements that are often stapled to telephone posts in the city were flying through the tent. We hardly slept all night and the weather the next day was foggy and windy, so we decided not to go on our overnight backpack. Yesterday we checked into a motel to recuperate. We took naps and showered. We got up early and just as we got on the road to Yellowstone, Brian realized he lost his checkbook! And then as we were looking for it around town, we got into a fender bender with a van! Nice.

June 12 Yellowstone was okay. The animals and sights were great, the fellow humans were not. People drive 15mph and then stop in the middle of the road. Lots of white-bread-cracker-heads in their SUVs. We saw lots of wildlife--elk, moose (mama and very cute baby), big horn sheep, buffalo, and yes, a bear. People were pestering the bear on the side of the road. It caused a traffic jam and we sat there for 40 minutes not knowing what was going on. Then the bear sprinted across the road almost getting hit by an on-coming car. Poor little guy. We went to Tetons and I think they are the most beautiful mountains I've ever seen. We are now near the Wind River Range in WY and they are gorgeous. We are hoping to backpack in Sweetwater Gap, which gives nice views from a meadow. Just now we were on the road when a woman came by on a horse with a red flag. All the cars slowed down and then here came a cattle drive with cowboys and dogs moving the cattle down the road. I see by the license plates that this is the "cowboy state" and well, there you go.

June 13 We had huge thunderstorms rock our tent last night. We camped at a lake in the sagebrush. We could see mountains to our left and a beautiful sunset to our right over the lake. Then storms came at about 10:00pm. We drove on a dirt road for a mile to our camp and man! was that road bad in the morning. It was worse than driving in snow. We got stuck, but 5 minutes later an older couple with a 4-wheel-drive and a chain pulled us out. I think they thought we were city slickers. We couldn't go backpacking yesterday either because the weather has been so bad. We will be in Flaming Gorge Natl. Mon. in 10 minutes.

June 15 We are in now in Colorado. We were at Flaming Gorge in Utah for 2 days. We stayed in a camp with Ponderosa pines, Rocky Mt. juniper, and lots of green grass. We saw a huge bull snake lying on the road in the sun (Brian almost ran it over, not really smart Mr. Snake) and lots of yellow-bellied marmots (aka whistle pigs, as the natives call them). We came down into a valley that had spectacular, colorful rock formations. We stayed in a Utah state park that was very expensive and sterile. Today we came to Dinosaur Natl. Mon. in northwest CO. We saw dinosaur bones and went to Harper's Corner for a fabulous view of the river canyon. Brian really loved it there; strayed far too close to the edge of the cliff for my liking, but gazed at the view for hours. We are driving at dusk to find another campground and the wildlife is really active. Brian is having to drive really cautiously. We are seeing many deer and pronghorn and there was a badger running down the shoulder of the road! Tomorrow we go to Colorado Natl. Mon. and look at more rocks.

June 16 Grand Junction, CO is a town of 41,000 and all the town seems to be are mini malls and fast food. We are at the H-Motel in Fruita. We took showers (whew!) and did laundry. The weather is still sucky with thunderstorms every day. The night before we stayed at a campground where night hawks flew around our heads and in and out of trees and tables. They are quite acrobatic and fun to watch. They look like they have a lot of fun. Brian has just tried an amber ale from New Belgian Brewery out of Fort Collins. He was not impressed. The beers have not been great since we left Washington. I'm drinking margaritas already made in the bottle that we get at Colorado's many liquor stores. One on every street corner it seems. Good thing too, I might add. Brian is growing a beard and it looks great! Tomorrow we go to the Million Dollar Highway and hopefully do some backpacking in the San Juan Mountains.

June 19 We are now just outside of Durango, CO--an extremely touristy place--at a campground. The crisis right now is that we seem to have a rodent of some kind living in our car. It has chewed on my sweater and the trail mix bag has been broken into. We pulled everything out of the car, we found evidence--a nest in the back--but of course, he's well hidden. Brian thinks we should set a mousetrap. He could really cause some damage to our equipment.

June 20 We went on a backpack to a hot springs in the San Juans. It was a really nice trip. It is really rustic, just makeshift pools. We were the only people there, so it was nice and relaxing. We are now in New Mexico. We are staying at a state park next to a very pretty reservoir. It's pretty cheap and we got a shower (whew!). There is a lot of juniper, but it is really different from those that grow in Central Oregon. These are more like a bush and they don't smell. The wildlife viewing possibilities have gone down considerably since northern CO, but we are seeing lots of reptiles. Many are quite interesting. The rodent is still wreaking havoc! He has chewed more of my sweaters and keeps eating the pasta. We have been putting more of the food in the cooler. We have run into some kind of tiny insects that are driving us crazy and now the skeeters have joined ranks. Brian is continuing with his stats and beer judging. He hasn't shaved yet and I love it! Tomorrow we go to Santa Fe. I'd like to do some hiking in NM. We will stop at a ranger station tomorrow. Everyone at the ranger stations and visitor centers have been really nice.

Oh, I forgot to write about Black Canyon of the Gunnison Natl. Mon. The canyon has a very sheer drop off. Most of the time one cannot even see the river because it is so narrow and deep. We got a backcountry pass. The hike was extremely steep. We pitched the tent on a saddle along the side of the canyon. There are little tiny cacti here that are blooming now. While I was cooking dinner last night I sat on one. Ouch! Backcountry passes are the way to go. You can camp for free and you really get to know the flora and the fauna when you are down in it instead of just looking over the edge and then getting back in your car.

June 21 We are now at a campground outside Santa Fe. The shop and visitor center people have not been friendly. The architecture is mostly some kind of fake adobe and all painted the same color. It is Disneyland for rich, artsy people. Tonight we will set a sticky trap for our rodent. I feel bad about it, but we don't want our stuff getting ruined. Last night some kind of animal was running around our camp trying to get into our cooler. It wasn't a raccoon because it was too small and fast. Maybe it was a weasel. We never did see it. It ran around our camp after we went to bed, which unnerved me when I was trying to sleep. At one point we heard a big bang over by the cooler. We thought the animal crashed into the cooler, but the next morning we opened the cooler and one of the microbrews had exploded, making a huge mess.

This afternoon I made guacamole. Brian left to go back to town for supplies (beer) and left me alone with my onion and avocado. While he was gone I was continually hassled by a big, fat chipmunk. Biggest chipmunk I'd ever seen! He stole my onion at one point and ran around the camp with it. Finally, I had to get into the tent with my chips and dip to get away from him. He still tried to get into the tent. When Brian came back he chased him off. My hero.

The mosquitoes seem to stay away from me because they like Brian more, which is nice. I'm not sure I want to go to any more towns. They are so full of people and one kind of gets used to not being around people.

June 22 We are not sure if the mouse is dead. He may have died of heat prostration. There wasn't anything in the trap this morning and no evidence of his eating anything. It is 90 here and he probably didn't have much in the way of water in the car. We are hoping he hopped out at some point and is now a New Mexico mouse. We think he started out as a Montana mouse. We were thinking about going on a hike in the Bisti Wilderness to a sort of badlands area, but the ranger said it is hotter than Hades down there until about midnight. That doesn't sound too fun. We have been seeing lots of hummingbirds. They are really cute. Some kind of warbler was outside our tent this morning and his song was long, convoluted, and some of the sounds were really cute and made me laugh.

June 24 We are on the road just outside Petrified Forest Natl. Park. This was an unplanned detour. We got on the wrong road trying to go to Monument Valley. We are making the most of it. I loved Petrified Forest when I was there as a kid. Arizona is so hot, dusty, and windy. May hair is like straw and my skin is drying up.

June 26 Last night we got a backcountry pass at Petrified Forest. It was fantastic! We hiked a couple miles into the Painted Desert. The sunset was gorgeous. There is petrified wood everywhere and the hills of colored sand are awesome. It goes on and on for miles. All different colors and you can walk all over them. There were more stars than I've ever seen! I'm so glad we got on the wrong road. You can buy liquor in the grocery stores in AZ. That's pretty cool. I bought a half gallon of my Salvator's mixed margaritas, which is very refreshing in this 95 weather.

June 27 Today was not a good one. We took an ill-informed detour to Lake Powel, Utah. It was full of ski boats and jet skis and it must have been well over 100 down there. There are no trees anywhere. Plus, we seem to have some potential car trouble. The car gets overheated under those circumstances. We drove through Capitol Reef NP, but didn't stay long. It was just too hot and we were cranky. I wanted to get to our campsite so we could have some rest and shade. Did I mention how hot it is? I'm going to be so glad to hit the Sierras and I keep fantasizing about the Pacific Coastmoist, cool air coming off the beautiful Pacific Ocean. We are now in a nice forest on Boulder Mt. with Ponderosa pine, aspen, and even some fir trees.

June 29 We are now driving west of Bryce Canyon, Utah. Last night we got a backcountry pass and camped in a nice spot, next to a ridge with pink hoodoos. Bryce Canyon is high in elevation, so it is cooler and there are a lot of trees. The hike out this morning was a little rough for us out-of-shapers. A man from Freiburg, Germany camped next to us last night. He ate an onion and garlic sandwich for dinner and on the hike out this morning we tried not to be downwind from him. Only a German would eat an onion and garlic sandwich. He was very nice. Bryce Canyon is beautiful. The pink hoodoos are amazing. We got showers this morning before we left. Whew! Tomorrow is Zion N.P. We are going to leave early so it won't be as hot and maybe there will be fewer people. There are these half red, half black ants that keep biting me on the ankles. I hate them. They won't bite Brian. My skin and hair is parched. They will be happy to get to the west coast, as will the rest of me. I think I am getting tired of looking at rocks.

June 30 Zion was a traffic jam. The views are gorgeous, though. We are now in Nevada at Echo Canyon State Park. Food in Utah was expensive and you can't always get fresh fruit and vegetables in the small towns. We did find some cherries that had been picked locally and they were delicious. Tomorrow we will be at Great Basin N.P. There are caves there, but I'm not sure about going through them. I got claustrophobic in one of the really long tunnels at Zion. Nevada has been really pretty so far with lots of wildflowers and sagebrush. There are also some really large, pretty cacti that are blooming. We saw some Joshua trees and a herd of wild horses and lots of jackrabbits.

July 4 We have finally left the desert! We are in the Eastern Sierras and man, are they beautiful. Lots of trees--juniper and pinon and ponderosa pine. Yesterday we were at Mono Lake and that place is really cool. The tufa formations are really interesting and the whole ecosystem is fascinating. We disperse camped up on a hill outside the town of Bridgeport. Very pretty spot. We were visited by night hawks again. There were lots of wildflowers. The snakeweed is blooming and it smells great. We had a nice view of the mountains. California is overrun with people. They are rude drivers, though when they aren't in their cars they have been really nice. We will end up in Tahoe eventually and it is going to be packed. We didn't plan to be there on 4th of July. We barely even know what day it is most of the time. We are close to where the Donner Party were stuck. That's kinda freaky. There is a brewpub in Truckee so we will have dinner there.

The towns in NV we visited were pretty raunchy--gambling and all. Great Basin N.P. was cool. We got a backcountry pass and hiked up to a really great camp spot. The mountains there are granite and sparkle in the sun. We did go through the Leyman caves. I had claustrophobia at first and didn't think I could do it, but I calmed down and was okay. I made a bit of a scene at one point. It was weird. It was like I was hearing things come out of my mouth, but I didn't really mean to say them. A little kid on the tour asked her mom what was wrong with me. I guess I know how bad my claustrophobia is now. The cave had been mismanaged for decades. They had square dances and initiation rites down there and many of the stalactites had been purposely broken off. We will be near Lassen NP by tonight. There is still a lot of snow there. I hope we can get into the park.

July 5 We are in Eureka and at a loss for things to do before we arrive at Dan's in Brookings. We don't want to surprise him with our too early arrival. We couldn't go to Lassen because it was still too snowy so we decided to drive to the ocean. The lake in Tahoe was gorgeous, but we had a miserable time. We were in a traffic jam for 2½ hours and it was just this huge fashion show/meat market in the woods. Then to top it off, we got pulled over by cops for passing on the right. They were in an unmarked car behind us. They searched our car for drugs and guns! I couldn't believe it. One cop was in uniform and the other wasn't. I didn't know the one was a cop and I thought he was some idiot hanging around to watch the drama unfold. I almost rolled down the window and said, "What are you looking at, you weirdo?" Luckily, I didn't do that. There was no way they could really search our car. It is packed so full with equipment. When I got out of the car I said something about CA apparently being a fascist state, but he ignored me. They were really polite, if you didn't take into account that they were ransacking our car without provocation. I think if we had been driving a nicer car without Grateful Dead and trippy mushroom stickers, they never would have pulled us over. They didn't give us a ticket, just a warning about passing on the right. What is this world coming to?

We are now going to a state park on the coast, then go to Redwoods in the morning. The weather is actually kind of cold, but I don't mind.

July 8 Well, we are now at Dan's in Brookings. The southern Oregon coast is gorgeous. The weather has been really foggy in the mornings, which keeps the temperature quite cool. I took a nice relaxing bath last night and my hair and skin is improving. The Redwoods are beautiful. The park was jammed with people, so we couldn't camp in the park, but we found a nice spot near the coast. We went to Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka and another one just outside Arcada. Both make really tasty beer and Lost Coast has a good restaurant. Lots of hippies in Arcada. It felt like we were back home, which is sounding pretty good right about now. I'm really tired of driving and Brian doesn't sleep well in the tent so he will be glad to sleep in a bed again. We will be staying with Dan for a couple of days then drive home in time for Country Fair.

Diversity Doings

The month of May is ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH. This year's theme is: Unity in Freedom. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is usually celebrated with community festivals, government gatherings, and educational activities for students. Right here on this campus, you are all invited to:

"KULTURA PILIPINAS" presented by the Filipino Student Union May 10th, 2002 Where: Agate Hall Auditorium (18th and Agate) Time: Doors Open at 6:30 p.m., Show from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Cost: FREE!!

Performances include Filipino Stick Fighting, Filipino Dancing, Modern Filipino songs, and guest performances by the Black Student Union, Hawaii Club, and Pacific Islands Club.

I sure didn't realize the West is home to 87% of the country's Hawaiians, 72% of Japanese, 59% of Cambodians, and 54% of Chinese and Vietnamese. Take a look at Infoplease.com's Asian history web site for more facts, useful information and some fun quizzes. There's a great article at this site called "Gung Ho, Tycoon, Amuck: Asian Loan Words in English", pointing out the words we have borrowed from Asian languages for everyday use in our own vocabulary.

Also, PLEASE don't miss out on the Library Diversity Committee-sponsored presentation of the video The Way Home, scheduled for May 22nd, 2002 in the Knight Browsing Room, 9:00 a.m.-noon. I haven't seen this video yet, but I've heard only great things about it and I am really looking forward to seeing the video and having a dialogue with my co-workers afterward. But I can't have a dialogue with you if you don't sign up! To attend, you must pre-register by calling Human Resources at 6-3159.

About the video: "Directed by Shakti Butler, The Way Home is a documentary of the discussions of 64 women, representing a cross-section of cultures in America, who met over a period of eight months in eight ethnic councils to share and explore stories of identity, oppression and resistance. Listening to the experiences of the people seated in these councils (Indigenous, African-American, Arab, Asian, European-American, Jewish, Latina and Multiracial) provides one starting point for discussions of how the issues they raise affect the work and learning environments at the University of Oregon".

--submitted by Rose Thomas

Tree Planting Honors Terry Smith

A tree planting ceremony was held Friday, April 26, in honor of Terry Smith, who died last December.

Coworkers gathered in the garden located at the northwest corner of the library and helped to plant the memorial tree, a magnolia denudata. Jean Murphy prepared some words for the occasion:

My mother, who died a couple of years ago, once told me that no one really "dies" until they are completely forgotten in the world. Well, those of us who knew and loved Terry will never forget her--her kindness, and joy, and energy, and hard work, her interest in so many things in life, the sparkle in her eyes and her clear, melodious voice. But still it will be good to have this beautiful tree to help us remember our friend and colleague, Terry Murphy Smith, whose life was way too short--but we are glad we got to be part of it. When this tree blooms, as it will, and the wind blows its big blossoms around, we can come out here and watch it dance and remember Terry in her beautiful hand-made Civil War dress, right there in the catalog department, in the pink cubicle she and Marion shared, dancing the Irish Jig on St. Patrick's Day.

To honor Terry's sense of humor, her friends gave a rousing "21 book salute," and played "Happy Trails To You" on kazoos.

FROM THE FACT FILE

Once you've identified these ten music makers, send your answers to Fact File. Answers must be submitted by May 30. The library staff member whose submission has the most correct answers will win a prize, courtesy of the Library Staff Association. In the event of a tie, a random drawing will be held to determine one winner. The answers, and the name of our winner, will be announced in the June issue of LSA News

Been to an interesting conference?

Send us a brief report for publication in the next newsletter. Thanks!

The Spring Tea is coming up!

The LSA Spring Tea is scheduled for May 15 from 2-3pm. This year we are honoring Stacie Jasper, retiring from her position in the Law Library (she worked in Circulation for a time, too), and Joanne Halgren, retiring from ILL. Both of thenm are retiring June 30. We will also be honoring some other recent departees: Jan Roberson, Kathy Wittwer, and Salli-Jo Osborne. The Tea is a dessert/appetizer potluck. Contact any member of the Social Committee for additional information.

News from former staff!

We love it when we get news from former staff, whether their formerness is recent or of long standing. This month, we heard that Virginia Parr, who was with us for some ten years in the seventies and early eighties, is retiring (from the University of Cincinatti Libraries). We got in touch with Virginia, and this is what she had to tell us.

Kudos and Congratulations

to LSA. Here is a letter to the editor we received regarding the Spring Arts and Crafts Sale:

Congratulations on a successful sale! Thank you so much for all your hard work. It was a nice shopping experience with all of it laid out so well!

Truly enjoyed the musical offering during the noon hour!

Debi Baker

On a related note, here is the write-up of the event, with pictures. Total profit: $298. Last year it was around $200, so that's roughly a 50% improvement.

To former Network Manager John Lambert on the birth of his new baby, Alex. Alex was born to John and his wife Stacy on April 4, weighing in at 8 pounds 6 inches and measuring 20 inches long. John was the Library Network Manager (this is the position currently held by Travis) from March 1996 to August 1998.

To David Grange for winning two awards in the UO Museum of Natural History's recent Bat/Bird?squirrel House contest. David won Most beautiful and Most original.

Hellos:

• Corey Harper will be the new Team Leader for the CMET folks, but not till September 3. Guess we'll have to say hello again, then.

Goodbyes

• To Renae Forrest in Acquisitions.
• To Donald T. Smith, who retired from the University in 1987. Don passed away April 14, at the age of 79, of pancreatic cancer

Last updated: 043002
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