The Adventures of Sock Monkey Episode 3: To Tucson and Beyond! Day 2

   Now, this is for July 28th so I'm not that behind. I think. On with the adventures of Sock Monkey! 

   We got up 8 AM and after eating some breakfast and packing our bags, drove off towards the Titan II Missile Museum. And if you want to know, there is only one really big missile and it is huge. And I mean huge. See below.

This is where the missile is stored...

...and this is the missile.

Yeah. We then took a tour down into the control room, after an introductory video, through multiple security measures (see below) and past a lot of gear (see below again) and finally to the main room in which I got the seat and became the Missile Combat Crew Commander for the tour. Which meant that I got to demonstrate a launch of the missile. Fun. See pictures below.

Fun fact: This "blast door" weighs 6000 lbs. And a ten year old kid could probably open this door.

Don't worry, we'll find you a moon suit that fits...

   

Reporting for duty, Missile Combat Crew Commander Sock Monkey.

Hmmm...I wonder what this red button does? *press* 

After the Missile Museum, we drive to Sabino Canyon. It's not with the NPS but it's in the National Forest and has a badge that you can earn but you have to mail the booklet back. Anyway... we took a "shuttle" all the way to the end of the road, then drive all the way back. It would have been much better in the winter so, please, go when it's cooler. It's still at least 95 degrees, even when it's cloudy.

Sabino Canyon. It's all I have to say.

I also have another picture that you should check out on "If 'owlicious' Was A Word" because it has an owl. Surprise. After picking up some souvenirs, we headed back to our hotel after a relatively relaxing day. I finally got slightly better at ping pong and here's the score. Mom:107  Me:14. Hey, I'm getting better! Afterwards, we left the recreation center and literally had just started walking back to our hotel when my mom and I saw something that we won't forget for a really long time. There was a pack of collared peccary, or javelinas, seven of them, standing outside the recreation center. If we had decided to play just a few more games of ping pong, we would of ran into them on our way out and javelinas aren't known as the friendly type. It was too dark to get any good pictures so there won't be any pictures of that. And that just about sums up this blog post! Any questions, comments, ideas, or suggestions, you know the drill! I guess I'm done now so thanks for reading! 

The Adventures of Sock Monkey Episode 3: To Tucson and Beyond! Day 1

   Now, for the past three and a half days (July 27-30), I've been in Tucson on a mini vacation. It's relatively cool down in Tucson (compared to Phoenix, that is) and is about 90 degrees in town and it gets cooler as you go up! I'll start blogging now. 

   My mom woke me up at 7 AM and after some last minute packing, we headed south towards Tucson. It took two hours to get to our first destination: Kitt Peak National Observatory. We took two tours after we were done stretching and getting some feeling back into our legs in weather that was about ten (scratch that) twenty degrees cooler than back in Phoenix. One tour of the 2.1 meter telescope (it's actually a whole lot bigger. That's just the mirror size) and one tour of the 4 meter telescope. I'll explain the mirror thing in the picture below.

Light from the stars and other intergalactic things hits the primary mirror, which is angled just so that all the light bounces back and hits the secondary mirror. The light then bounces off the secondary mirror and into the hole in the bottom of the mirror and towards the viewer. See? Makes perfect sense! 

Anyway, we spent pretty much the whole day at the observatory. Here are some pictures. 

Welcome to Kitt Peak National Observatory! 

This is U of A's telescope!

That's twenty six telescopes on the mountain! 

That's a lot of telescopes!

Almost to the top!

I feel so short now...

Snakes in space...hmm...

4 meters of solid glass covered in aluminum for a mirror?! That's big!

This is how tall Kitt Peak National Observatory is!

When we were done, we drive to our hotel, which I think was really good. It's one of the hotels that are part of the chain of Wyndham Resorts. But that's beside the point. We checked and then dropped off our stuff in the room before stopping by a supermarket for our dinner. After that, my mom and I went to the recreation center to play ping pong and here's the score. Mom: 70  Me: 6. Hey, I never said I was good at ping pong! Afterwards, we borrowed a board game and played that until we decided to go to bed. Well, I'm done with the blogging so questions, comments, etc, comment board is right over there! Other than that, thanks for reading! 

The Adventures of Sock Monkey Episode 2: In Search of Blue Stuffed Animal Crabs... Day 4

   So! I'm on the final day of my vacation before I go back to being "normal" at home. Also, quick reminder, remember to check the last post because I added some stuff to the last two or three posts. Now, on with the adventures! 

   We checked out of our hotel at 10 AM and we finally decided that we would all go instead of my dad staying at the hotel. We then took the 47 bus to the Golden Gate Park and walked all the way to the California Academy of Sciences. Of course, after a quick stop at Whole Foods for some doughnut holes. The admission price is pretty high but it is so worth it. They have a skulls exhibit (which I personally thought was kind of creepy) and an exhibit for the evolution of mankind in the African Hall and guess what was at the end of the hall? Penguins! There is a live Webcam for the penguin exhibit and I'll tell you how to find it on the website (see link below). 

http://www.calacademy.org/

Go to the tab "Discover Science" on the top and then find "Live Webcams" and click on "Penguin Cams". You can also check out the other webcams. Back to the blog. Also, there is a huge planetarium that features shows about dark matter and other things about cosmology. They also have the world's deepest coral reef exhibit, a 90-foot four-story tall glass dome with a habitat that mimics a rain-forest with real animals, and a living roof. I'm serious. The roof has grass and about 10-15 different types of native plants and other things like that. I even saw a hummingbird feeding off a flower on the roof. Maybe this picture helps.

You can see almost the entirety of Golden Gate Park! 

Anyway, we did the aquarium first and saw a bunch of animals and fish living there. See below. After that, we walked through African Hall, and then walked through the rain-forest before watching the two o'clock show in the planetarium about dark matter and dark energy and, I am not very happy to say this, but I kind of got motion-sick while sitting in one spot the whole entire show. Oops. Here are some pictures.

Here's a joke for you. What do you call a fish without an eye? A fsh! (Eye, I, get it?)

This is the rainforest exhibit and, trust me, it feels like a rainforest in there.

Then we went to the Skulls exhibit and basically, saw some skulls. I enjoyed the visit but, to me, skulls are creepy and I wouldn't have gone in the exhibit if no one was there. If you don't believe me, see this picture and then re-think what I just said.

All skulls! On the wall! 

Yeah. Afterwards, I felt like stopping by the gift shop to see Lemondrop the Lavender Albino Reticulated Python. Or something like that. Here's a picture.

Lemondrop, meet Sock Monkey. Sock Monkey, meet Lemondrop. 

After that, we went back to the hotel to get our luggage and then walked to the BART train station and then went all the way to the airport where we took the AirTrain to the terminal and checked in, and then waited for our flight. As we were flying off (and I'm sad because it's like, one hundred fifteen degrees back at home!), my mom got this picture and all of the white stuff is cloud and that one hole in the cloud is right where the airport is.

I'm so thankful for the Paper Artist app! 

And that's so cool! We arrived back at home 2 hrs. later and my cousin's dad picked us up and drove us back to our house. And that concludes Episode 2 of "The Adventures of Sock Monkey"! So, questions, comments, etc, comment board is that way! Other than that, I'm mostly done so thanks for reading! 

The Adventures of Sock Monkey Episode 2: In Search of Blue Stuffed Animal Crabs... Day 3

   Quick reminder! Don't forget the very important fact that this is for July 5th! Other than that, I should continue with my search for blue stuffed animal crabs...

   We got up at 6-ish in the morning and ate breakfast at the hotel, then took a series of buses that was supposed to get us to Muir Woods National Monument on time. Long story short, it didn't. Big time. We left the hotel at 7 AM and got there at 9:45 AM. So, we took about 3 buses, not including the shuttle ride. And it was cold up there, but it was so worth it. Words can't really describe it, so see the pictures below.

One more thing. It's pretty much dead silent in the forest, save about three birds in the entire park. Its kinda creepy but really cool. After that, I got a Junior Ranger badge for me, a badge for my mom, and a badge for my cousin in the UK. (you're welcome!) And a badge for Sock Monkey (it's technically mine). See below.

Perfect size!

Also, the badges are made out of recycled, you guessed it, redwood trees. Is that cool, or is that cool? Yeah. I thought so. Anyway, after I was done fussing about what to get at the gift shop and after I got the stuff, we took the shuttle bus down from the top of the mountain and from clear blue skies to the cloudiest city in America. Hey, it's true! After we came back, we had dinner at Chinatown and then turned in for the night. I think that's about it so please say something on the comment board.  Even if it's like "wow, the scenery sure is nice up there!" or something cheesy like that, hey, works for me! Other than that, I guess I'm done so, thanks for reading, people of earth and intergalactic space! 

Here's some trivia from the Junior Ranger booklet:

1. How much water does an average redwood drink each day?

One hundred to five hundred gallons of water each day! That's why I highly suggest that you stick to regular landscaping plants! 

2. What are three sources of water for these thirsty redwoods?

   - Fog (they're called Coastal Redwoods for a reason)
   - Rain (but this is only during the winter. No rain in the summer!)
   - Creeks (Redwood Creek flows year-round but isn't a very big creek. Which is why fog is the most reliable!)

3. What makes redwoods red? (Hint: It's not Kool-Aid)

Redwoods are red because of a chemical called tannin, or tannic acid. That's why redwoods live so long! No pests!

4. What endangered species live in Muir Woods National Monument? 

Northern Spotted Owls (oh yeah!) and Coho Salmon live in the forest and in Redwood Creek!  Which is why this monument is so important! 

5. What are three kinds of plants that live in Muir Woods? 

Redwoods (duh!), redwood sorrel, and sword ferns (they're not as sharp as they sound) live in Muir Woods National Monument. 

As for the rest, you should check the website (see below)! 

http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm

Other than that, I'm mostly done so thanks for reading! 

The Adventures of Sock Monkey Episode 2: In Search of Blue Stuffed Animal Crabs... Day 2

   Omigosh! I'm so behind!  I've been at a resident camp for a week and kind of missed out. Just remember the fact that this post is for July 4th. Now you see how late this post his? Yeah. Whoopsies. My bad. Here. I'll get started now.

   We got up in the morning and had Chinese food for breakfast and then took the California line cable car to the end and back, and then took the F line historical cable car line all the way to Pier 43, and then walked to Pier 43 1/2 and took the Red and White Fleet Cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge and back across the bay.

Sock Monkey at Fishermans Wharf

Sock Monkey at Pier 43 1/2

After the cruise, we walked around Pier 39 and I got some absolutely awesome pictures in a, wait for it, sock store! With Sock Monkey! Oh, also, I have some pictures with owl socks that I will be putting on "If 'owlicious' Was a Word". And all the monkey sock pictures (or sock monkey pictures...) will be below. Hopefully.

Sock Monkey's twin sock!

It's his own kind!

Oops...oops...oops...

Also, we went in an awesome candy store. Puts a new meaning on "kid in a candy shop". See below. 

Did you even know that this existed?

Angry Birds and Angry Birds and Angry Birds and...

After that, we tried to get back to our hotel but we checked and the Bus 2 was shut down because of the fireworks, so we walked to the Bus 47 station but that station was moved four blocks down because of fireworks, so we went to the cable car station but that was also closed due to, you guessed it, fireworks. And that's why you don't go to major cities without a car on holidays, folks! And if you do, well, suck it up and deal with it, people of earth and intergalactic space! Because walking two blocks up a hill before finding a bus stop that an actual bus goes through isn't that hard, I mean, come on ;)! We also stopped by a Chinese restaurant for dinner. I will put one picture below and, no, that isn't a real shrimp. It's a picture from the wall.

Bit big for you, huh?

But that's beside the point. We got back to our hotel (finally!) and, from what we heard, the fireworks weren't very good because it was cloudy. Go figure. Oh, and if you want to know, here are some things you might want to know. Number One: Our hotel was called the Canterbury, part of the chain called Wyndham Resorts and Hotels. Number Two: Apparently, cucumber water tastes really good. Ask my mom. Not me. I guess I'm mostly done so questions, comments, etc, comment board is that way! Other than that, I'm mostly done so thanks for reading! 

The Adventures of Sock Monkey Episode 2: In Search of Blue Stuffed Animal Crabs... Day 1

   Greetings from San Francisco! I actually started this vacation the day before yesterday but I couldn't blog last night or the night before so here we are! I have exactly twenty two pictures of Sock Monkey. In every place including, you guessed it, a sock store. More on that later. Let's start in the beginning. 

   My parents dragged me (literally) out of bed 5 o'clock in the morning on July 3 to catch our plane at 7:40 AM to the City by the Bay. My cousin's uncle drove us to the airport where we checked in and then waited...

                       and waited...

                            and waited...

Finally, the plane came and we boarded. The flight was pretty good and the complementary drinks were nice, too. Got some photos too. See below.

Off to California! 

Anyway, we arrived at 9:55 AM and took the AirTrain to the BART train station and took the BART train to go to the nearest stop closest to our hotel, after a stop by the information center.

The BART trains! To wherever...

The information center. With the i. 

We walked (emphasis on walked) all the way to our hotel.

Our Hotel in California

That's six blocks, minimum. Oh, and here's your potentially useless fact for the day! San Francisco has forty three hills. So if you drive to the Bay, make sure your emergency brake works. Really. But I digress. We dropped off the luggage and then took the buses and stopped by a really good dim sum place. See picture below.

What's for lunch?

Food!! Yay!

Then we took the Muni transit system to the Japanese Tea Garden and looked around there a lot. They have sock monkey-sized everything, from swimming pools to pagodas, from trees to bamboo forests. Everything. Almost.

Sock Monkey's vacation house

Fish. And more fish.

Sushi?

Chillaxin' in the sun...

Then my parents tried to figure out where to go while I checked out the gift shop for the California Academy of Science ( basically a really big science museum with kid stuff ) and, reptile alert, there was a eight-foot long python in the gift shop. He's a Lavender Albino Reticulated Constrictor. Or something like that. Also, his name is Lemondrop, which gives away his color. Is that cool or what? We finally decided to go to the Golden Gate Bridge to walk a little more. Oh, also, just before going to the Japanese Tea Garden, we went to the top of the tower to this art museum. I think its called the de Young Museum and you can see the whole San Francisco from the top. Just say you're going to the top and you get there for free. Anyway, we took the bus to the Golden Gate Bridge and walked about half a mile down, and a half a mile back. We didn't go all the way, because that's a ton of walking. Also, I learned that there is a full-time painting crew that paints the Golden Gate Bridge the color (called International Orange) and when they reach one end, they start painting back to the beginning! That's a lot of paint! But anyway, we stopped by Chinatown for dinner, and then took the bus back to the hotel. I guess that's mostly it, so, questions, comments, whatever, comment board is that way! Other than that, I guess I'm done so, thanks for reading, people of earth and intergalactic space! 

A Super Mini Mini Mini Vacation

   Greetings,  readers! First of all, I'm just really happy because of all the people reading my blog. So let me see if this  "cut-and-paste picture" thing works... ok. It does.

Pageviews by Countries

Entry	Pageviews
United States	500
Russia	22
Germany	10
United Kingdom	10
Hong Kong	7
Ukraine	5
Malaysia	2

 And this is for the whole time that my blog has existed. And that's epic! And some of you may be asking, who reads your blog in Ukraine?! Honestly? No idea. I don't know who's in Russia or Ukraine (if it was you, drop me a line! Comment board's that way!) but I have a vague idea of who's looking at my blog and where in pretty much every other country. Kind of. But that's not what this blog post is supposed to be about. So I'll get back on track. 

   On (wait, what was it? Gah! Short-term memory...) Saturday, at about 6 o'clock in the evening, my mom said that we should go to this place called Arizona Falls (I think it was on a comment before...somewhere...) and this is something like how the conversation went:

Mom: Hey! Why don't we go to Arizona Falls? It'll be fun! 
Me: I don't really want to go... I have other things to do.
Mom: You should get outdoors and have fun!       (someone who's name I'll keep classified) said it was really nice! Let's go!
Me: But I really don't want to go!
Mom: Then you have to go!
Me: Mom! But--
Mom: *exasperated sigh* Okay then, see you in the car
Me: *me slamming my head on the table* (more than once, mind you)

Arizona Falls was kind of cool but my first impression when we went was "Gee, it smells like dead fish!". Which it did. But, hey, it's a waterfall in the canal. Of course it smells like dead fish! I brought Sock Monkey (no duh) but it was wet. And you know from a previous post that Sock Monkey plus water equals big kaboom. With a mushroom cloud. But here's a good picture of the waterfall.

Pretty cool, huh? Actually, there isn't really much else. Just three signs. Not all educational, though. We got that done in about, hmmm, fifteen minutes? Give or take a few?  Yeah. So we stopped by this nice pond that we nicknamed Turtle Pond. Because it had turtles in a pond. Mind-blowing, isn't it? I got pics of Sock Monkey, some rather hungry turtles (which was why they were so close in the first place), and ducks. And fish. Big fish. Big Koi fish.

Nice to meet you, Mr. Turtle! What's that? No, I don't taste very good...

Whatcha lookin' at?

Meet Mr. Geico the Duck

Ducks! Lots of ducks! Quack!

Shh! Don't disturb him! He's meditating..

So cute!

The big fountain in the middle of the pond

Yah. And afterwards, just because I felt like it, I got some ice cream from McDonalds. Not that I go there often. But that's pretty much it, so, here's the speech. Any questions or comments or suggestions or sarcastic remarks or whatever,  please comment! At least once! Other than that, I guess I'm done so, thanks for reading!