My name is Tommy Sutor. I am a CSCS through the NSCA, and have a Master's Degree in Exercise Science. I am the program director at Push to Walk, a specialized intensive exercise gym for people with spinal cord injuries and other types of paralysis. With this blog I hope to share lots of information and research pertaining to my job, other topics related to health and exercise, and, if I think you may be interested, my life.
I've found it hard to come up with health tips every week that I can also explain and type up in an easy and timely manner. Thus, instead of only presenting health tips each week, I've decided to branch out and try to post health tips, exercise tips, scientific reviews, and other "of the week" entries. Thus, my first "Health Issue of the Week" blog, dealing with the subject of spinal cord injuries and paralysis.
This past weekend, as part of my new job working as an exercise therapist at Push To Walk, I went to the Working 2 Walk conference in Rockville, MD. It was put on by the organization Unite 2 Fight Paralysis. The conference included lectures and discussions with many top doctors and researchers in the spinal cord injury field, representatives from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and DOD (Department of Defense), as well as talks and discussions from/with many advocates from the spinal cord community, including many international advocates. If you’re wondering, the DOD was there to talk about the grants they give out to fund research, and how the DOD follows up on their grants to make sure research is actually being done.
The experience was awesome, and very eye-opening for me. I asked some questions to some of the speakers, but for the most part sat back and listened. I wanted to get a better sense of what life was like in a chair and what the spinal cord injury (SCI) community’s views towards living in a chair were. I wanted to hear the discussions between the SCI advocates and the FDA. I wanted to hear the debate among the doctors and scientists as to what the best and safest methods currently are for treating SCIs, and what things need more research in the future.
My eyes were also opened to the lack of cohesion, communication, and networking within the SCI community. However, almost all the advocates and researchers at the conference seemed to agree that events like this one were a good place to start, and discussions needed to continue. There was one overwhelming theme that everybody at the conference seemed to agree upon though – paralysis can be and needs to be CURED.
Some things I learned:
The SCI population is a relatively new one. It wasn’t until WWII, with the invention of the right types of plastics, that people were able to live with paralysis. Up until that point, if somebody sustained a SCI, they would die within a few weeks due to a urinary tract infection. That is not so anymore. Thus it has really only been in the last 60-70 years that there has been a need for treatments and research into curing a SCI.
It is estimated there are 12,000 new SCIs every year in the USA alone.
The average yearly expenses for SCI patients, depending on severity of injury, range from $321,720-$985,774 in their first year, and anywhere from $39,077-$171,183 every subsequent year.
Until recently, old fashioned ideas from the medical community have been hurting the SCI community. The idea used to be that a SCI patient’s best chance of gaining any kind of function back was in the first six months, with no chance of recovering any function beyond 2 years post-injury. Modern science and research has shown us this is NOT the case. It is possible for any paralyzed individual, no matter how severe or what level their injury, to regain at least SOME function and/or improve their health no matter when they start exercising. Every single researcher or doctor that presented at the conference, whether they were talking about exercise therapy, biomaterial implants, stem cell research, or a myriad of other topics, had the same belief; PARALYSIS CAN BE CURED.
The last thing that really made an impact on me, and that is still running through my mind, is something one of the advocates said. Martin Codyre, director of the Irish Stem Cell Foundation, was talking with a representative from the FDA about the medical community’s old views towards living with paralysis. He explained how the medical community used to have the attitude of repairing a patient as best they could after an accident, and that was it. It was time to get used to life in a chair, because that is as good as it was going to get for them. Despite modern science and research that seems to suggest otherwise, that old idea is still pervasive in both the medical and SCI community. I may not be remembering Martin’s exact words correctly, but after talking about that old idea in the medical community and why he was at the conference, he said “I’m here to get out of this chair.”
A woman with an SCI riding a FES Bike, which uses electrodes to directly stimulate the muscles of the legs, allowing her to maintain muscle mass and keep the nerves below her injury level alive. With machines like this, she has hope of recovering some function in her legs. What else can be done for SCI patients? The more questions we ask and attempt to answer, the sooner we'll find out.
This blog was prompted by (and is based off questions from) my girlfriend who is trying to lose weight. I thought, rather than share the info with just her, why not share it with everybody?
So how do I do it? Simple: eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day.
How does that give me more energy? When we eat a big breakfast, then wait a few (4+) hours, we experience a huge spike in blood sugar followed by a huge drop in blood sugar levels. The result: a big spike in energy followed by a big drop in energy. The same thing happens a few hours later when we eat a big lunch. Ever have that afternoon lull in energy that the “energy shot” drink commercials always talk about? That is one of the reasons for this. Needless to say, it will happen again if you wait another couple of hours after lunch to eat a big dinner before going to bed. So instead of having these huge spikes and deficits of blood sugar that affect our energy levels throughout the day, wouldn’t it be nice to keep our blood sugar/energy levels more even so we can get through the day without wanting to take a nap at 2 p.m.? Eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day is how we accomplish this.
How does this apply to weight loss? When we take those long breaks from eating, our metabolisms actually slow down. This means that rather than burn up all the calories we’ve eaten, utilizing most of the nutrients right away, your metabolism will instead store as much of it as it can; mostly, in adipose tissue, where fat is stored. This is because the number one source of energy for the body in a resting state is fat. That is why we all need some fat in our body. However, I don’t need to tell anyone the myriad of health problems that can come from having too much fat, so back to the point of weight loss. If we eat a smaller meal, then another one 2-3 hours later, then another one 2-3 hours later, etc, our body will be getting a constant flow of nutrients. Because of this, our metabolisms will speed up, and constantly be burning calories throughout the day. Consequently, since our body’s number one fuel source at rest is fat, our metabolisms will be burning that fat up all day, helping in the processes of either weight loss OR maintaining a healthy weight.
Well, all that science is just super-duper, but how do I actually go about eating smaller meals more frequently? Rather than bore/confuse you with caloric expenditure numbers, I’ll give you some simple tips on how to do it. It won’t be as exact as actually calculating the number of calories you actually need and dividing it up throughout the day, but it will be much simpler.
• Plan your meals and snacks. What times of the day can you eat full meals? What times of the day do you have to eat a snack? If you know exactly when you can or want to eat, it will be easier to fit a meal or snack in at that time. Try to eat either a small meal or a snack every 2-3 hours. You can go for longer if you need to fit in an exercise session, but be sure to have a small meal or snack right after! (FYI: 1% or skim chocolate milk is a great post workout drink!)
• Divide, separate, and conquer. Think about how big your meals usually are. Now, cut those in half, and eat some of the food later than you normally would. Do you usually eat a bagel for breakfast? Eat half of it at your normal breakfast time, and the other half two hours later. Do you usually have a salad for lunch? Eat half of it at normal lunch time and half three hours later. Or, buy a smaller salad for lunch, and have a healthy snack (like a banana, nuts, peanut butter and crackers, granola bar) two or three hours later. Even if dinner is always a full family meal, that’s still 5 meals through the day now instead of three, and a more evenly distributed food intake.
• Get creative. Think outside the box for small meals and/or snacks. One example is peanut butter between two Nutri-grain bars. Right there you have healthy fat, protein, and good carbs all in an easy to make and quick to eat snack. A blender is also a great tool. You can make a drink, keep it in a bottle or thermos, and take a few gulps halfway in between meals. One of my favorites is skim milk, strawberries, peanut butter, and a scoop of protein powder all mixed together in a blender. The possibilities are endless.
It will take some trial and error to figure out exactly how big each meal or snack should be. It can also take a few days to a few weeks for your metabolism to get used to the smaller meals and/or the higher frequency of food intake. Nevertheless, once your body is used to it, you will notice a change in your energy levels throughout the day, and your metabolism will be revving all the time so that you can minimize the amount of excess fat your adipose tissue stores, and attain or maintain that healthy weight.
DISCLAIMER: THIS BLOG ENTRY ISLONG. Instead of one simple health tip, this blog contains a few health tips as well as a lot of practical information, all presented in a user-friendly manner (I even make fun of science mumbo-jumbo talk a little bit). Later in the week I will post a much condensed version of this blog that is more in line with my traditional, shorter Health Tip of the Week posts.
I've gone through a lot of changes in life since my last blog entry. I never did get to post my experiences at the USATF championships, but I'll get around to that eventually. Back to the changes though. Since June, I have finished my thesis, successfully defended it, and gotten it approved for printing and binding. I have obtained 2 part-time jobs, as a sports performance coach at a national sports performance franchise, and as an exercise trainer for spinal cord injury patients. I also moved to my own place, and for the first time in my life, had to pick up and move EVERYTHING I had to my own place to live independently. Two weekends of non-stop picking up boxes, walking up and down stairs, twisting while walking over other boxes with them, and finally putting the boxes back down at a different height or angle from which I picked it up took it's toll on my back. It is this move that has prompted this blog entry.
BACK PAIN
Almost everyone has experienced lower back pain at some point in their lives. What exactly causes it? What is a "bad back"? There is actually no one answer. The spine is made up
of 24 individual bones called vertebrae, not including the vertebrae that are fused together in the sacrum and coccyx (the green and purple bones in the picture.) All of the vertebrae are connected by intervtebral discs, which provide some padding between the bones. The vertebrae house the spinal column, which through nerve endings that run in and out of the spine at various locations, sends signals between the brain and the rest of the body for movement, sensory, and lots of other information. The vertebrae are also held in place and controlled by many different thin, long muscles that run up and down the spinal column. Long story short, the spine has many parts, and is very complex.
It is due to this immense complexity that it is very hard to diagnose the exact cause of back pain, as well as to figure out exactly what to do to alleviate it when you have it. For most of us, it just comes and goes without warning, and we just live with it. The spine is so complex, in fact, that the National Strength and Conditioning Association classifies the spine as just one joint, not the multiple sets of joints it actually is (technically the space in between each individual vertebrae is one joint!)
One idea that is pretty widely accepted is that too much of anything is bad for the back and will cause pain. Think of the manual laborer that spends 5-6 days a week lifting things and walking around with them. Think if the waitress or bartender who spends hours at a time standing and or walking around quickly, twisting around obstacles to serve people their food. Think of the office worker who does nothing but sit, 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week. Many people in any of these populations often have back problems or complain of back pain, and the one thing they have in common is they do the same thing all day, every day, without ever changing their routine to loosen their back up or let it do something different.
For example, a study was done on power plant safety inspectors. The majority of their job is literally sitting in front of a big set of dials and monitors all day, making sure that everything in the plant is normal. As this is the case, many of them have some level of back pain. One group of inspectors continued to sit at their stations all day. The other group alternated sitting for 10 minutes with pedaling on an exercise bike for 10 minutes throughout the day. They could pedal at whatever pace they wanted, so it didn't have to be vigorous exercise, but they were still moving instead of sitting stationary the whole day. After a few weeks, the group who alternated sitting with an exercise bike throughout the day reported much lower levels of/no back pain at all when compared to the group that just sat in a chair all day. Hence the notion, too much of anything is bad for your back.
There are other things that can alleviate or prevent back pain, such as being more flexible or maintaining a healthy weight. I will go into another way of preventing back pain later in the blog. For now, on to the next topic...
"FUNCTIONAL" EXERCISE
"Functional" exercise or "functional" training are big buzzwords around the fitness industry lately. The annoying thing about this is that you can ask 10 personal trainers or strength coaches what "functional" training is, and you're likely to get 10 different answers. There is no one answer to what exactly "functional" training is, or what it entails.
According to dictionary.com, "Functional" means "capable of operating...;having a utilitarian purpose". The same web site provides the World English Dictionary's definition as "practical rather than decorative; utilitarian". So, basically, "functional" exercises should be ones that serve a purpose, and are practical in application to the real world, or in the case of athletes, to their sport. Lets do a random youtube search for "fuctional training" and "functional exercise"...
When in the real world or in what sport are our feet ever suspended while our hands are on the ground? How does this improve our ability to walk with a wheelbarrow, lean over a counter to pick something up, or hit a baseball further?
What is the "function" of this workout? Simply using full body exercises to raise the guy's heart rate? Why are these exercises better than any others? And for the record, the "clean and press" he is doing at 0:48 in the video is NOT a clean. And at 0:57, you can hear the trainer say "those are good, nice flat back posture." REALLY??? His back is clearly as rounded as it can get. Does flexing the spine to that degree while trying to pick something up off the ground serve a function?
Name to me a sport where we move in this slow and controlled of a manner. Name to me a situation in real life when we need to hold something all the way over our head with one hand and lunge across a room that we could just as easily walk through. Yeah, I can't name that sport, or that situation in real life.
I'm not saying these are not good exercises. I'm not saying they won't get your heart rate up or give a good workout. I'm not saying that they aren't a good way to keep workouts interesting and introduce some variety for you or your clients. These clearly are exercises that can give you a good workout and can be fun and challenging. But what is practical about them? To what sports or ADLs (activities of daily living) do they apply? How are any of these exercises functional?
If a "functional" exercise is one that serves a purpose, and is practical in application to the real world or a sport, let me show you the two most functional exercises anyone can possibly do...
LIFTING THINGS UP AND PUTTING THEM DOWN
This is a sumo deadlift. Ever picked something up off the ground before? I thought so. How about something that was so wide you had to straddle it with your feet then reach down inbetween your knees to pick it up? Well, guess what this exercise simulates? In addition, because the feet are against solid ground and the hands are fixed, this is a "closed kinetic chain" exercise, which is fancy science talk for "this exercise will help all the muscles in your body learn to work together, so that moving heavy things is easier.
I don't know if there's an actual name for this exercise, so we'll just call it the stone carry. Ever picked up something heavy, then had to walk around with it? Like, say, when you were moving (remember how I said it was my own move that prompted this blog entry)? How about just moving furniture or something else heavy around your house? Remember how I said the sumo deadlift is a closed kinetic chain activity? Well, so is the stone carry - carry something heavy, and all your muscles need to figure out how to work together in order to get the task done.
So how does it apply to athletes? Well, I'll admit, I don't think sumo deadlifting or stone carrying has a direct correlation to how well you can tackle somebody or how often you can make a free throw. But remember, through some fancy nervous system organization, closed kinetic chain activites teach all muscles in your body to work together. By teaching all your muscles to work together in one movement, it can be easier to teach your muscles to work together when doing another movement. If your muscles can learn how to work together to pick up a heavy barbell, they can easily learn how to work together to throw a baseball, throw a football, do a backflip, throw a discus, cradle a lacrosse ball, handle moguls, etc.
Don't let the musclehead appearance of the guys in the videos fool you. Yes, I really do think these exercises have more real world application and can help athletes - dare I say, they are more functional - than hanging off a wall while doing squats on an unstable surface.
SUMMING IT ALL UP
So, if these are practical exercises that relate to the real world, what do they have to do with back pain? Well, like pretty much any exercise, if you do them improperly, they can hurt you, but if you do them right, they will make you stronger, and be good for you. So lets go over the important technical points of lifting things up, then putting them down. Watch the videos and you will see one or both of the guys do all the below points very well.
-Start with the object close to your body. Notice how the deadlifter starts with the bar right up against his shins? Notice how Mark Wechter braces the stone against his shins, then pulls it into his chest before even lifting? The closer an object is to your body, the less distance you have to lift it, and therefore, the less work you have to do. The less work your do, the easier it will be on your muscles and joints. Which brings me to my next point...
-Keep the object close to your Center of Mass (CoM). I know, more science talk. Bear with me - your CoM is where all the mass in your body is balanced and evenly distributed. For most people, their CoM is right around their belly button. Watch the first few seconds of Mark Wechter carrying the stone as he's walking towards the camera. He isn't carrying the stone out away from his body, and he is also not letting his arms hang down long and relaxed either. His arms are bent so he can carry the object close to his body, and if I had to guess, it looks to be just a few inches above his CoM. By keeping the object close to the balance point of his own body, he can carry the object around easily with a decent amount of balance and stability, despite its massive weight.
-Keep your upper body as upright as possible. By keeping your upper body upright,
you minimize the shear forces on your back, which it cannot stand nearly as well as compressive forces. Take a look at the picture to the side. Remember the intervertebral discs I was talking about that connect and cushion each individual vertebrae? Well, they handle compressive forces (represented by red arrows), which is when one vertebrae is pushed down on another, quite well. Shear forces (represented by green arrows), however, occur when one vertebrae is pushed or pulled horizontally in the opposite direction of another vertebrae. Many back injuries result from shear forces, much more so than compressive forces. The closer to horizontal your upper body is, the more subject it is to shear forces. Twisting of the spine can subject it to shear forces too. So, to minimize shear forces on your back, thus minimizing your risk of injury, keep your upper body as upright as possible when picking something up, just as our powerlifter friend does in the sumo deadlift video. And if you successfully keep your upper body vertical, this allows you to do execute my final point successfully.
-Lift with your hips and legs! Notice how the power lifter's and Mark Wechter's feet are flat with the heels planted on the ground before they begin their respective lifts. Notice how their hips push forward (toward the object they are lifting) and their knees extend as the weight goes up. Notice how Wechter uses his legs to hold the object with a vertical upper body to get a better grip on the stone, before he pushes up with his legs again. And finally, notice how Wechter keeps his upper body stable and square while turning around the corners with his entire body, rather than twisting his legs or upper body first. The largest muscle groups in your body, your quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteals, are all in your legs and hips. Involve all of those muscles, and you won't have to use as many of those small muscles in your back.
So the moral of the story is, despite what some national chain gyms would have you believe, the best "functional" exercise for everyday people is in fact to lift things up and put them down, and to lift things up, walk with them, and put them down. For athletes, the most "functional" way to train is to lift heavy things up, walk around with them, put them down, and practice your sport.
Its staggering when you look at it really. 3,173 miles in total according to google maps, and thats pretty close to the actual distance we covered (though I don't know exaclty what the real distance was...)
Day 1: A to B: East Stroudsburg PA to Toledo, OH. About 488 miles, 9 hours including stops.
Day 2: B to C: Toledo, OH to Sioux Falls, SD. About 817 miles, somewhere between 14-15 hours including stops.
Day 3: C-D-E: Sioux Falls, SD to Mt. Rushmore to Greybull, WY. About 703 miles, another 14-15 hour day including our 2 hour stop at Mt Rushmore and others.
Day 4: E-F-G: Sioux Falls, SD to Yellowstone to Livingston, MT. About 279 miles, about 12 hours, but we spent a lot of time in Yellowstone.
Day 5: Livingston, MT to Portland, OR. About 775 miles, another 12-13 hour day with stops.
Day 6: Portland, OR to Eugene, OR. About 111 miles, 2.5 hours with traffic.
So today, we woke up in Portland. Before picking up the rental car, we stopped by Mac Wilkins'Throwing Center near Condordia University in Portland. Steve Prefontaine is the big star attraction for Eugene, Oregon and Oregon University - but like my good friend Paul, I say, "Screw Pre, Go MAC!" Anyway, it turns out that Mac was actually at the throws center coaching a few of his athletes. He was very welcoming to me and coach. He could have told us to leave because he was coaching, or we needed university clearance or whatever, but instead he came up to us, introduced himself, and said "So this is my throws center!" He even showed us around a little bit while his throwers were taking a break. The amenities of his center include:
*4 Discus practice circles
*3 Shot put circles
*2 IAAF certified Hammer/discus circles
*2 more concrete slabs for drilling
*An all weather jav runway
*A massive overhang building that houses 3 hammer/disc circles, a shot put circle, and a javelin runway so you can throw while its raining.
Some pictures:
He also told us he plans to put in a full sized track and weight room on the grounds eventually. It really will be pretty incredible when it's completely finished.
When I asked Mac if I could take some throws, he said "Yes, please do. This place is designed to be a resource for throwers, and I want it to be used." At this point, I actually hadn't had breakfast, so I let Mac know that we were going to go eat, get the rental car, and come back. I brought my own hammer with me, so he said it wouldn't be a problem. So I hopped in the circle and got a quick throwing session in.
As you can see, 5 straight days in a car with a diet consisting mostly of fast/restaurant food is a good way to get slow and out of shape. Who cares though?! I've now thrown on the west coast, AND at the Concordia Throws Center nonetheless!
After the quick session, I jumped in Coach's car while he got in the rental, and we drove down to our final destination, a motel right outside of Eugene. As I said up top it took a while because of traffic getting out of Portland. Ah, to be back in a populated area where there actually is traffic...the highways are just like back in New Jersey, except out here you're close to the Pacific ocean, not the Atlantic.
We went out to dinner with my buddy Barry Krammes and Coach Curcio from Lafayette College, who is his main coach these days. Barry will be throwing the javelin on friday and will by trying to get a spot on the 2011 USA National Team, either for the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea and/or for the 2011 PanAm Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has been training his butt off since graduating ESU, and has been making great strides these past few years. If you want to read about his training, or get coaching from him (this guy is a fantastic coach and taught me everything I know about the javelin) then visit his web site (which is what his name is linked too.) He is a real class act and I'll be cheering for him friday.
So here we are in a motel, just outside of Eugene, Oregon to see the 2011 USA National Track and Field Championships!!!!! Tomorrow the champs begin with the Men's Hammer Throw! Kibwe Johnson will be throwing, which everyone is excited to see since he has the farthest throw by an American in over 11 years. I'll also be cheering for Matt DiBuono, a throwing buddy of mine who I have trained/competed with before. He has been throwing really well lately and will hopefully finish in the top 8. Full reports come tomorrow.
Things I didn't know/had never done before:
While Barry is a better javelin thrower and a higher level athlete than I can ever hope to be, I whoop his ass when it comes to impressions of Harry Caray.
Well, to be honest, nothing really happened on Monday, the 5th day of our journey. We just drove. But luckily, the drive was through Montana. The scenery and views were out of this world. The mountains were incredible. I drove for most of yesterday, so I didn't get to take a lot of pictures, but here are some that I did snap...
Coach got some more pictures, so you'll get to see those on facebook once they're up.
Other than that, it was just driving! Lots of great scenery in Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, but we didn't really stop or see anything too interesting. We arrived in Portland, got us a motel, and went to sleep.
Things I didn't know/had never done before:
Not even much here except a beer update. I tried two new beers tonight:
Henry Weihnard's Blue Boar Pale Ale, and Widmer Brothers Hefewiezen. The Blue Boar Pale Ale wasn't bad, but I'm normally not an "Ale" guy and this one proved to be to ale-y for my liking. The Widmer Brothers, however, was a Hefewiezen, which you can never go wrong with. Especially if you're on a trip to see some world class track and field :)
Coach's Quotes of the Day:
-First thing in the morning, we were deciding where to go for breakfast:
Coach: "Well, there's a McDonalds down the road, or the restaurant right next to the hotel, your choice."
Me: "I want an actual breakfast, lets just go to the restaurant."
Coach: "No McDonalds breakfast today Tom?...Oh, I get it, you want some girl to take your order, prepare your food, and wait on you hand and foot...you want to be married! Well, I got news for you, it doesn't work like that."
-Checking out of the hotel - this one isn't by coach, but it leads into one of his:
Woman working the desk: "You boys together?"
Me: "TRAVELLING together, yeah."
...so later at breakfast, the hostess brought us to a table...
Coach: "Is this cozy corner table ok with you Tom? We can sit across from eachother, stare into eachother's eyes and develop our relationship."
Me: "Once again, we're just travelling together coach."
-Listening to Bruce Springsteen on the radio:
Coach: "I was watching one of his concerts on TV once, and I thought 'Geez, there are a lot of old people in the crowd! Why are there so many freaking old people in the crowd?' Then I realized, I am one."
-On working security for Southside Jonny when he was going to college:
Coach: "So my one friend, who was a huge country music fan and never heard of Southside Jonny or knew who he was or anything, was given backstage duty. The concert manager told him to not let anybody back there without a pass, no matter what. So, Southside Jonny comes in, but he doesn't have pass, so my friend won't let him back stage! Southside Jonny says 'Do you know who I am?' My friend said 'I don't give a (*&^ who you are, you're not getting back stage without a pass.' So Southside Jonny is all pissed, he goes back on the bus, his manager comes out and explains who he is. So during the show that night, my friend and I are working right in front of the stage, and Southside Jonny sees us, and he starts swinging his mic around in a circle, pretty close to our heads. At first we thought it was part of the act, but then we realized, he was trying to hit my friend. So after the song is done, in the middle of the show, my friend looks up at Southside Jonny and says 'If you hit me with that microphone, I'll come up on stage and rip your $&*%^#$ leg off.'"
"C" to "E" was the path we took on Day 3. "D" was Mt. Rushmore. "E" to "G" was the route we took on Day 4. "F" was Yellowstone National Park. IT WAS AWESOME!!!!
We began by driving from Greybull to Yellowstone early in the morning. The drive alone was incredible. Here are some highlights...
We made a stop at the Buffalo Bill Dam on the Shoshone River. Here's a video of the dam and the river:
After that, we saw more unbelievable scenery, just on the way to the park. The highlight were some buttes that we saw on an upper leg of the Shoshone. One of them even looked like Bart Simpson...
So eventually, we got to Yellowstone. The first thing I noticed (it was kind of hard to miss it) was all the snow. Yeah. Snow. Here's the sign we saw shortly after entering the park:
Yeah.
Yup...
Later that day we found out that the forecast for Yellowstone that night was 32 degrees, 7mph winds, and a chance of rain/snow. I am young (and stupid?) enough that I would have tried to camp in Yellowstone that night. Yet, Coach made the executive decision to stay in a motel that night, rather than Yellowstone. Yet, we still spent the day there and saw lots of stuff. Most notably, buffalo, and lots of them!
One decided he didn't like my pictures, or something like that...
That was a crazy experience. There were lots more buffalo, but like I said, I have to save space on my blog.
The next stop was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We hiked down to one of the water falls in the canyon. Rather than try to describe it, because nothing in Yellowstone can really be described, here are some pictures of the falls and canyon...
After hiking the 600 feet back up to the road from that vantage point (which was tough, considering the elevation was about 7,500 feet, which by the way, is the highest I've ever been), our next stop was Old Faithful.
Once we saw that, unfortunately, it was time to go. Since we weren't staying the night, it was back to the road. We went out the northern entrance so we could get back on I-90 to keep going west. But before we left, we saw some other wild life. Elk, to be specific.
They're basically like deer, but MASSIVE. The female in the first picture was taller than I am.
So, that was my Yellowstone experience. It was awesome, but a big teaser at the same time. I was in and out of Yellowstone in one day. There was so much stuff left to do and see (I saw some springs but they were hot, and covered in steam, so the pictures don't show much), which I didn't get to see since I was only there for a day. It was like opening presents on christmas morning, but not getting to use them...until the next time I go back to Yellowstone. Hopefully, it will be soon.
Things I didn't know/had never done before:
*Yellowstone actually has yellow stones. My camera died, so I didn't get any pictures. But, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone literally has yellow walls up to 1200 feet high, that stretch as far as you can see through the canyon. I guess thats where it gots its name.
*Beer update...Once we left the park and headed to Montana, we tried Moose Drool Brown Ale, on tap in a bar. It was good stuff. I also had Old Faithful Ale and Howling Wolf weisse beer, both of which I got in Yellowstone itself. I'm not enough of a beer snob to describe exactly how they tasted, but they were all good. Maybe it was simply the experience and excitement of just having come from Yellowstone when I had them, but they were good.
Coach's Quote of the Day:
This one isn't necessarily hilarious, but is absolutely perfect for me and both my brothers.
Coach: "Well Tom, if you come back to Yellowstone, you have to come for at least two weeks. And you have to learn how to fly fish so you can do that, and hike, bike, kayak..."
Me: "I'll hike, bike, and kayak, but I'll probably never fly fish. My dad tried to get me into it for years but I couldn't, its just too boring."
Coach: "Well, fly fishing is more than just casting a rod. I think fly fishing is akin to throwing the hammer, or pitching a baseball. Its really a skilled movement, with all these subtle, technical nuances that you have to be aware of in order to do it well. If you don't have experience doing it or never tried it before, you really don't appreciate everything that goes into it."
So I said we were camping in Yellowstone and I would give no blog updates...wrong! More about that in the Day 4 story though. For now, here's what happened on day 3.
We embarked very early from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There was grass, farms, open space, grass farms, open space, etc. For a long while. I was driving, and coach was on the phone. At the last possible second, he desperately pointed to a rest stop, and once I barely pulled off on the exit, explained to me he needed to go to the bathroom. Well, I'm glad he had to go to the bathroom, because this particular rest stop happened to have the most unbelieveable view of the Missouri river.
After a quick stop and more plenty more pictures being taken (which you'll be able to see on my facebook, I need to save space on the blog), we were back on the road. Once we crossed the Missouri River, it opened up into the plains. The great plains, I guess. Long, straight, unending roads.
For fun, I decided to pick a point on the horizon, and see how long it took us to get there. Going at about 70-75mph, it took us 5 mins, 43 seconds to get to the point on the horizon we picked. It was 7 miles away. We saw one point and it just kept getting closer, but it took over 5 minutes to get to it! It was totally different than any highway ride you'll experience in NJ, PA, or NY. Like I said, long, straight, and seems to go on forever.
Eventually, we stopped off at a certain National Memorial you've probably all heard of...
It was pretty far off the highway, farther than we originally thought. It took a long time to get there. At one point, Coach (whose idea it was to see Mt. Rushmore in the first place) wondered out loud, "why are we even going to see this thing? Its really just a big sculpture, right? Whats the big deal?"
It might just be a big sculpture, but it was pretty damn cool. The picture says it all, but the scale of it is just so incredible. There is a museum there showing how it was constructed (90% of the construction was precision blasting with dynamite). There's a trail to walk around so you can see it from all different angles. If you're lucky, you might even see some wildlife, like I did:
They say you need to spend about 2 hours at Mt. Rushmore to get the full experience, so thats what we did. After the 2 hours there, it was back on the road. We stopped at a Wallmart somewhere in western South Dakota and picked up some cheap camping gear so we could spend the night in Yellowstone. We heaved towards Wyoming to get as close as possible to Yellowstone before setting up camp for the night. The crazy part is that in Wyoming, while on a state road, we ran into some "construction", if you can call it that. We saw a sign that said "Pavement ends" - the road literally just ended! No road! An official state road, just gone! There were cones marking the path the pavement should have been, but there was nothing but dirt for a couple miles. I guess thats how its done in Wyoming.
Eventually we arrived at a campground in Greybull, Wyoming, and set up camp for the night. I woke up the next morning thinking to myself "I'm camping, and I'm in Wyoming. I just went camping in freaking Wyoming." I dunno, I thought it was cool.
A quick update. Day 3... We left South Dakota, stopping at Mt. Rushmore along the way. We made our way to Greybull, Wyoming where we camped for the night ($62 for two sleeping bags and a two person tent...thank you walmart). For the first time in my life, I saw snowcapped mountains. It's June and it was 55 degrees when we entered Wyoming.
Its day 4, and I'm writing this from coach's iPad in a Mcdonalds in Cody, Wyoming. Elevation 5106 feet. On the way here I saw an antelope, and even bigger snowcapped mountains - the Rockies themselves. We're going to spend the day in Yellowstone and camp there for the night.
Since we're staing in Yellowstone, I likely won't be blogging again until Wednesday, when we arrive in Portland, Oregon. Despite wifi hotelier for Internet and all that, I'm not going to plug in my laptop and sit on my butt blogging while I have geysers, hot springs, mountains, buffalo, bears, and antelope to look at. I'll be taking plenty of pictures and will provide full day-by-day summaries once we're back to civilization, but until then, I'm enjoying Yellowstone. I'm not going to behave like a yuppie or 21st century brat - I'm going to enjoy one of the most spectacular national parks our country has to offer.
Also, here's a coach quote of the day to leave you with:
Coach: "It won't be a big deal if we get to Yellowstone late, all we'll do is set up and go to sleep, it's not like we'll make lots of noise."
Me : "Depending on how much beer we bring...but they probably don't allow alcohol in National parks."
Coach: "They don't...that's why you buy bourbon, it's easier to sneak in."
So today was a 680-ish mile trip from Toledo, Ohio to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Not really much to say - the day was all driving! We got on the road around 9:00am. We passed by a lot of farms, open space, farms, some more open space, some open space, and some farms. There was a huge steel plant in Indiana, and that was about it until we got to Chicago.
Although it would have been cool, we didn't stop in Chicago, we just drove by it. It was foggy, as you can see, but I still managed to get an ok shot of the Chicago skyline featuring the Sears Tower as we drove by.
Then we passed through the rest of Illinois. We stopped at a Cabelas briefly to stretch our legs, and get some gas nearby. We didn't buy anything, because we decided to get our sleeping bags and tent for cheap at a Walmart somewhere else along the way. Did I mention the plan?
We got as far as we could the first two days so we could take our time the rest of the trip and see some of the country along the way. It turns out that tomorrow, we'll be spending some time at Mt. Rushmore. Then pass through whatever national forests we happen to pass through on the way to YELLOWSTONE! AHHHH! Needless to say I'm excited. I've never been west of Ohio before, and now I'm going to see two big deal western landmarks on my way to the Pacific Coast to see the most elite Field and track the country has to offer. It doesn't get much better than that.
After Cabelas, we went through Wisconson. The Wisconson-Minnesota border turns out to be the Mississippi river, which we drove over:
A bit anti-climactic, I know, I couldn't get a good picture. Still kind of cool though.
The only other thing worth mentioning is endless fields of windmill power stations throughout Minnesota farms:
Things I've never seen before/never knew:
*Wisconson really is that obsessed with cheese. At a mini-mall area right off an exit, there was a store called "Gifts, Liquor, Cheese". Bumper stickers saying "got cheese". Signs for "Cheese farms." At least along I-90, the cheese stereotype is all but confirmed.
*Indiana, Wisconson, and Minnesota are not nearly as developed as I thought they were. LOTS of farms and not much else all throughout those states. I guess the only place there wasn't farms was where it got too mountinous for there to be good farmland. Otherwise, I was very surprised to see a LOT of farms, long, straight highways, and not much else.
*I am clearly not from the Midwest. Here's the best way I can describe it...my mom, a child of Irish immigrants, has always told me I don't look very Irish - so I assumed that meant I looked German, since my dad is almost 100% German. Yet when I went to Berlin two years ago, I realized I don't look that German either. I felt like I just looked different - anyone who has been to Europe knows what I'm talking about, I'm not really sure how else to describe it. After coming home from Berlin, I figured I just look American.
Well, I got a similar feeling when Coach and I went into a "Pizza Ranch" restaurant in Minnesota. The way everyone dressed, the way they looked - just felt "different" again! I guess I look like a Northeastern American?
Coach's Quotes of the day:
*We were driving somewhere in Wisconson, I think, on I-90 west bound, and this came out of nowhere:
Coach: "Hey Tom, this is the furthest west you've ever been!"...5 seconds later - "Hey Tom, this is the furthest west you've ever been!"...5 seconds later - "Hey Tom, THIS is the furthest west you've ever been!!" And repeat a few more times...
*After mentioning my younger is entering his last year at Marist:
Coach: "Is he having a good career?"
Me: "Yeah, he's majoring in Sports com and has an internship this summer with the New Jersey Jackals."
Coach: "Oh yeah? Is he doing broadcasting?"
Me: "Yeah, a little bit of color commentary and play-by-play. Its only internet radio, but its still broadcast experience. I mean, how many people are going to listen to minor league baseball on internet radio?"
Coach: "Six."
*Quotes you'll just have to ask me about: Blondie at Belmont Park, and The Toll Booth Incident (thats a really good one...)
