I am an outdoor person who married an indoor person and then created a trio of indoor people. (Well, two of the kids don't mind the outdoors.) Anyway, the net effect is we never go anywhere cool or scenic. But as a kid I hated being stuck at home, stuck indoors. I used to bike around the streets of Skokie listlessly, trying to get lost to see if I could. When I moved to NYC in 2010, I bought a bike and went over the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey to try to replicate my childhood experience -- it's less fun when you're worried about getting nailed by crazy New Jersey drivers.
I like that you went out with a bang! (Or in this case, more of a splat.)
Does that mean Outdoorsiness is a recessive gene?
You reminded me that I loved to bike as a kid, too. I used to imagine a fork in the road was like a warp zone that'd lead me to different levels, but my imagination was trying to up the drama. This was in Buffalo, not too dissimilar from Skokie, based on the photos I'm seeing. And yeah, I have no desire to bike in LA. Seems like a good way to die!
Oh my goodness, I feel like such a celebrity getting a contest shout out. I did not wake up this morning with the programming necessary to respond in a calm, cool, collected manner!
Also, I for sure died a lot. I echo @Ian Cummings on the whole “ but I was clutching the stone of invulnerability!” indignation. I guess it only affects sharks.
I even tried to play nice with the Commander (before I took the bribe money and leapt to my death)
You're famous now, Rachel! I hope you don't mind TMZ coming over to your place and photographing your every move? The Adventure Snack shout-out has a way of changing lives.
Yeah, the stone affects sharks and people, but not fellow rocks. If you know the soldiers can't harm you as long as you're holding the stone, it might affect your strategy... 🤔
OK, I jumped over the cliff and died. How? I was clutching the stone of invulnerability!
As for the most spectacular thing I have seen, it has to be the Sphinx, that is the proper big one, by the Pyramids, not the little ones that are either side of the 1 km road between Karnak and Thebes, they are cool, but smaller! I have seen Stonehenge, being English you have to, and frankly was a little underwhelmed. It is fairly obvious that in its day it was in much better condition, and all the lintels were in place. I think a lot of the stone was robbed to make houses and barns in the dark ages.
I used to like camping when I was younger, but as I got older it became harder and harder, and now, as I only have one leg, getting into and out of a tent is a no-no!
I can't think of a reason to give myself a merit badge, apart for perseverance. I was told that there is a guy who lives in the same village as me, but is twelve years younger, has also lost a leg, and has just given up! He has carers who come in, in the morning, help him to get up, and dressed, prepare his Wheaty Bangs, come back at lunchtime and feed him, then a call in the evening to feed him, and help him into bed. On the other hand I have a carer to come in at around six thirty, who takes my commode upstairs and empties it, everything else I do for myself. The commode is needed, as to put my leg on and get upstairs takes about 15minutes, by which time it is too late!
Not sure if you discovered this in your run, but the stone only protects against "enemies," and sharp pointy rocks aren't proper enemies, as hazardous as they may be. I bet you could survive on another run!
Sorry Stonehenge didn't live up to the hype. Maybe some of the stone was robbed by aliens, too. So would you say to hit the Sphinx, skip the stones?
Oh yeah, that sounds like it'd be very frustrating to go camping. The outdoors is pretty and all, but there are lots of great reruns on Paramount+, so I think we can skip it.
+50 Points! You more than deserve a Perseverance badge IMO. What village do you live in?
It took me a few tries, but I survived. Kept looking for ways to survive the jump but couldn't find it. I walked the Inca Trail which had some great views that are also terrifying if you're scared of heights. And always been more of an in doors person. Camping sounds very unappealing.
My merit badge is for pointing my friends to the good stuff at PAX East, the expo game recommender badge.
Perseverance! I admire it! It's a short game where not everything is possible...
I know how much you love to study ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, so walking the Inca Trail must've been quite the thrill. My wife and I are thinking about visiting Mexico again. I may hit you up for a recommendation or two, if you don't mind making non-game recommendations. ^_^
+50 Points! Oooh, they should make that badge an official thing at PAX.
Yeah the Inca trail was nice because it had both natural scenery and archeological sights, got to learn a bit on that hike. Despite all my research into Aztec culture, I've never actually been to Mexico itself. Could tell you about the kinds of places I'd like to see there though.
That'd be a nice official badge. Also if you're curious, I got it for leading my friends to some games called Gigabash (four player game where you fight each other as kaiju, has Godzilla himself and friends as DLC) and Shot One (kind of like a mix of air hockey and a fighting game).
I still remember dying in quicksand in one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books so I’m all for looking death in the eye. 🤣 I did play out all the scenarios; this was really fun.
I went splat :-( It took a few tries to figure it out the whole "invulnerability" thing...
Tough call on the most scenic place. Iceland is stunning, but I'm weirdly partial to Orkney. It's sort of stark and mysterious with this amazing ancient history on view everywhere you turn.
I live on a farm, so I had better be outdoorsy! I get stir crazy when I'm stuck inside too long, and I love working outside, doing hands-on projects, or just being in nature. When I travel, it's usually to take long hikes.
My merit-badge moment this year was probably tackling my girlie chainsaw phobia and finally learning to use one. As you might imagine, there are occasionally downed limbs and trees around the farm that need cutting up, and hiring someone to do it gets expensive. I got an electric chainsaw to start with, and it's not as bad as I thought it would be! (I picture an embroidered image of chainsawing a dollar in half?)
If at first you don't succeed, splat and splat again!
The first time I saw the word "Orkney" was reading it in your comment. I just looked it up and wow, the views there are stunning. I can imagine you had quite the adventure with all the interesting historical sights.
Haha, yeah, "farmer" is the prototypical outdoorsy occupation, though I suppose you could work in a greenhouse or something. I'm glad we have a solid rep for outdoorsiness in Table Talk among us pale dwellers of indoor darkness. ^_^
+50 points for your "Chainsaw Bravery" badge (which doubles as a "Chainsaw Frugality" bagde)! Though I wouldn't describe chainsaw phobia as "girlie," so much as "logical" and "universal." There's a reason horror movies feature them prominently!
🏝️ The most scenic places I've had the pleasure of visiting so far have all been by the sea. The coasts of the Maritime provinces in Canada, the Californian coast ... I'd also love to visit Maine or Rhode Island (in the United States) along the same line of thinking. Cities situated beside the sea pique my interest further. I got to visit Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island) on that same Maritimes trip, but it was more of a touchdown than a stay — we remained in the cities for barely a day each time before moving on. If I could I'd take the chance to travel and remain in those cities for longer, maybe a month or more, learning about their traditions and history and customs.
💻 vs. 🚲 Both! If I stay inside for too long I'd go crazy, but I can't handle staying outdoors all day either. Wherever I can work best, I guess — and sometimes I need to sit down and type into a computer to do that, other times I find the outside to offer just as much inspiration as a good book or other media piece.
✍️ I can't think of anything noteworthy to award myself for, mainly because my situation was a bit of a mess last year. Here's to hoping this year's a little better, and I'm a little better as a person ... ?
I love coastlines, too. I've driven up and down the California coast many times, making stops to see waves crashing against sparkling oceans. Occasionally, there are sea lions!
You know, that's very reasonable. Why choose just because I framed the silly question that way? Indoors, outdoors – you do you!
🗻 Did you survive your run-in with the jerky boys, aka the soldiers?
Of course! As a mom and someone who works in IT, I've learned that patience usually wears down even the most determined jerks in the long run.
🏝️ What’s the most scenic place you’ve ever visited?
I spent two summers at Petrified Forest National Park. Hiking out into the Painted Desert at night, where there's so little light pollution that you can watch satellites travel across the sky is the most beautiful thing ever.
💻 vs. 🚲 Are you more of an indoor or outdoor person? Has it changed over time?
This entirely depends on where I am. When I was at Petrified Forest, you couldn't keep me indoors. I was constantly out and about, and I loved every minute of it. Now that I live in The South, you pretty much have to drag me outdoors any time it's not spring or fall. I just despise humidity, so going out is pretty miserable most of the year.
✍️ Bonus Challenge (+50 Points): Award yourself a scout-type merit badge for something you did over the past year.
My merit badge is going to be "Stepping Waaaaaay Outside of my Comfort Zone in the Weirdest Way Possible."
I've been trying to find something to do lately that engages more with my community. The pandemic really affected my ability to social. Over the last year, I've been volunteering as a religious education teacher at my congregation. I'm kind of an oddball, being the atheist who was raised Catholic at a Unitarian Universalist Congregation where I'm one of the few who was raised in any form of Christianity. I've been teaching 5th-8th graders, and it's been one of the highlights of my year. It's super odd though to be the one sharing the Christian point of view on things. Guess those 9 years of Catholic school weren't a total wash!
Well done! Patience is not only a virtue, but a game-winning strategy.
Petrified Forest National Park looks absolutely gorgeous, particularly those multi-colored mountains. There's nothing quite like a clear night sky to remind you that we are just tiny specs in a vast universe and that is beautiful in-and-of-itself.
+50 points! Oh wow, that's a fascinating choice of profession for an atheist. Has it worked? Do you feel more connected with the community, even though you don't personally believe the gospel? I can imagine there's some friction there.
I do feel more connected, and honestly, I realize how much I enjoy that age group. Old enough to be interesting, but not quite teens yet. :) Thankfully, no friction in the congregational community. UUs welcome anyone of all beliefs, so there's agnostics, atheists, pagans, Humanists, some Christians without a particular church they affiliate with.... We even had an LDS family for a while!
I played this one several times. I died multiple ways. I'm mildly afraid of heights, and this game proved that my fear extends to games too. In other words, I did what I could to avoid jumping off the cliff, but it's tough out their for a peon.
Best scenic location? This is a toss up for me. Last summer we visited Alaska and it really knocked my socks off. But I'm also a huge fan of the Grand Canyon. I've been three times, and I'm always struck by its beauty. All that being said, I'm more of an indoors person, but as I get older I find that I do appreciate the outdoors more.
I worked in Arizona for two summers in college, and we were only 4 hours from the Grand Canyon. (We were also half an hour from the nearest gas station, so 4 hours was no big deal....) I was amazed at how every time we went, it was just as breathtaking as the first time. Did you hike any of the canyon?
I've been to Arizona many times, but instead of enjoying the splendid beauty of the Grand Canyon, I was slinging books in a florescent lit convention center at Phoenix Comic Con. (Then going for dinner at the only restaurant still opened after the con closed, the terrible Tilted Kilt.)
I'm not a hiker, but if I ever make it back to Arizona, I really want to see the Grand Canyon.
The screaming agony in my calves once I made it back to the top after going down to Three Mile House says your decision was definitely the better one. 😂
Yeah, not gonna lie, the peon life isn't great. But if you died multiple times, I hope you also found one of the paths to riches and safety. Hint: As long as you hold the invulnerability stone, they can't get ya!
Your write-up of your Alaska trip was terrific. I enjoy all your travel logs. Adventurers who are reading this, I've said it before and I'll say it again, check out Situation Normal: https://michaelestrin.substack.com/
I died doing what I love (jumping off cliffs).
I am an outdoor person who married an indoor person and then created a trio of indoor people. (Well, two of the kids don't mind the outdoors.) Anyway, the net effect is we never go anywhere cool or scenic. But as a kid I hated being stuck at home, stuck indoors. I used to bike around the streets of Skokie listlessly, trying to get lost to see if I could. When I moved to NYC in 2010, I bought a bike and went over the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey to try to replicate my childhood experience -- it's less fun when you're worried about getting nailed by crazy New Jersey drivers.
I like that you went out with a bang! (Or in this case, more of a splat.)
Does that mean Outdoorsiness is a recessive gene?
You reminded me that I loved to bike as a kid, too. I used to imagine a fork in the road was like a warp zone that'd lead me to different levels, but my imagination was trying to up the drama. This was in Buffalo, not too dissimilar from Skokie, based on the photos I'm seeing. And yeah, I have no desire to bike in LA. Seems like a good way to die!
Parenting has taught me that all my genes are recessive.
Oh my goodness, I feel like such a celebrity getting a contest shout out. I did not wake up this morning with the programming necessary to respond in a calm, cool, collected manner!
Also, I for sure died a lot. I echo @Ian Cummings on the whole “ but I was clutching the stone of invulnerability!” indignation. I guess it only affects sharks.
I even tried to play nice with the Commander (before I took the bribe money and leapt to my death)
You're famous now, Rachel! I hope you don't mind TMZ coming over to your place and photographing your every move? The Adventure Snack shout-out has a way of changing lives.
Yeah, the stone affects sharks and people, but not fellow rocks. If you know the soldiers can't harm you as long as you're holding the stone, it might affect your strategy... 🤔
Aha! Now with your suggestion I managed to survive. I shall henceforth be taking any and all hints and recommendations
Maybe I should start making Adventure Snack walkthroughs to help other people out.
They’d be the shortest walkthroughs ever, lol.
I'm here to help!
https://images.nintendolife.com/0ef9d4154e506/we-now-know-the-reason-for-that-smug-expression.large.jpg
OK, I jumped over the cliff and died. How? I was clutching the stone of invulnerability!
As for the most spectacular thing I have seen, it has to be the Sphinx, that is the proper big one, by the Pyramids, not the little ones that are either side of the 1 km road between Karnak and Thebes, they are cool, but smaller! I have seen Stonehenge, being English you have to, and frankly was a little underwhelmed. It is fairly obvious that in its day it was in much better condition, and all the lintels were in place. I think a lot of the stone was robbed to make houses and barns in the dark ages.
I used to like camping when I was younger, but as I got older it became harder and harder, and now, as I only have one leg, getting into and out of a tent is a no-no!
I can't think of a reason to give myself a merit badge, apart for perseverance. I was told that there is a guy who lives in the same village as me, but is twelve years younger, has also lost a leg, and has just given up! He has carers who come in, in the morning, help him to get up, and dressed, prepare his Wheaty Bangs, come back at lunchtime and feed him, then a call in the evening to feed him, and help him into bed. On the other hand I have a carer to come in at around six thirty, who takes my commode upstairs and empties it, everything else I do for myself. The commode is needed, as to put my leg on and get upstairs takes about 15minutes, by which time it is too late!
Not sure if you discovered this in your run, but the stone only protects against "enemies," and sharp pointy rocks aren't proper enemies, as hazardous as they may be. I bet you could survive on another run!
Sorry Stonehenge didn't live up to the hype. Maybe some of the stone was robbed by aliens, too. So would you say to hit the Sphinx, skip the stones?
Oh yeah, that sounds like it'd be very frustrating to go camping. The outdoors is pretty and all, but there are lots of great reruns on Paramount+, so I think we can skip it.
+50 Points! You more than deserve a Perseverance badge IMO. What village do you live in?
It took me a few tries, but I survived. Kept looking for ways to survive the jump but couldn't find it. I walked the Inca Trail which had some great views that are also terrifying if you're scared of heights. And always been more of an in doors person. Camping sounds very unappealing.
My merit badge is for pointing my friends to the good stuff at PAX East, the expo game recommender badge.
Perseverance! I admire it! It's a short game where not everything is possible...
I know how much you love to study ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, so walking the Inca Trail must've been quite the thrill. My wife and I are thinking about visiting Mexico again. I may hit you up for a recommendation or two, if you don't mind making non-game recommendations. ^_^
+50 Points! Oooh, they should make that badge an official thing at PAX.
Yeah the Inca trail was nice because it had both natural scenery and archeological sights, got to learn a bit on that hike. Despite all my research into Aztec culture, I've never actually been to Mexico itself. Could tell you about the kinds of places I'd like to see there though.
That'd be a nice official badge. Also if you're curious, I got it for leading my friends to some games called Gigabash (four player game where you fight each other as kaiju, has Godzilla himself and friends as DLC) and Shot One (kind of like a mix of air hockey and a fighting game).
I jumped right off that cliff, LOL.
Yeah, I probably would've done the same.
I still remember dying in quicksand in one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books so I’m all for looking death in the eye. 🤣 I did play out all the scenarios; this was really fun.
Thanks for playing, Tori! I’m glad you enjoyed the quest.
Yeah, I died a lot in CYOA books. I liked how they made the deaths interesting, so I try to do that with those paths, too. Make my death memorable!
I went splat :-( It took a few tries to figure it out the whole "invulnerability" thing...
Tough call on the most scenic place. Iceland is stunning, but I'm weirdly partial to Orkney. It's sort of stark and mysterious with this amazing ancient history on view everywhere you turn.
I live on a farm, so I had better be outdoorsy! I get stir crazy when I'm stuck inside too long, and I love working outside, doing hands-on projects, or just being in nature. When I travel, it's usually to take long hikes.
My merit-badge moment this year was probably tackling my girlie chainsaw phobia and finally learning to use one. As you might imagine, there are occasionally downed limbs and trees around the farm that need cutting up, and hiring someone to do it gets expensive. I got an electric chainsaw to start with, and it's not as bad as I thought it would be! (I picture an embroidered image of chainsawing a dollar in half?)
If at first you don't succeed, splat and splat again!
The first time I saw the word "Orkney" was reading it in your comment. I just looked it up and wow, the views there are stunning. I can imagine you had quite the adventure with all the interesting historical sights.
Haha, yeah, "farmer" is the prototypical outdoorsy occupation, though I suppose you could work in a greenhouse or something. I'm glad we have a solid rep for outdoorsiness in Table Talk among us pale dwellers of indoor darkness. ^_^
+50 points for your "Chainsaw Bravery" badge (which doubles as a "Chainsaw Frugality" bagde)! Though I wouldn't describe chainsaw phobia as "girlie," so much as "logical" and "universal." There's a reason horror movies feature them prominently!
🏝️ The most scenic places I've had the pleasure of visiting so far have all been by the sea. The coasts of the Maritime provinces in Canada, the Californian coast ... I'd also love to visit Maine or Rhode Island (in the United States) along the same line of thinking. Cities situated beside the sea pique my interest further. I got to visit Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island) on that same Maritimes trip, but it was more of a touchdown than a stay — we remained in the cities for barely a day each time before moving on. If I could I'd take the chance to travel and remain in those cities for longer, maybe a month or more, learning about their traditions and history and customs.
💻 vs. 🚲 Both! If I stay inside for too long I'd go crazy, but I can't handle staying outdoors all day either. Wherever I can work best, I guess — and sometimes I need to sit down and type into a computer to do that, other times I find the outside to offer just as much inspiration as a good book or other media piece.
✍️ I can't think of anything noteworthy to award myself for, mainly because my situation was a bit of a mess last year. Here's to hoping this year's a little better, and I'm a little better as a person ... ?
I love coastlines, too. I've driven up and down the California coast many times, making stops to see waves crashing against sparkling oceans. Occasionally, there are sea lions!
You know, that's very reasonable. Why choose just because I framed the silly question that way? Indoors, outdoors – you do you!
+10 points for striving to grow as a person!
🗻 Did you survive your run-in with the jerky boys, aka the soldiers?
Of course! As a mom and someone who works in IT, I've learned that patience usually wears down even the most determined jerks in the long run.
🏝️ What’s the most scenic place you’ve ever visited?
I spent two summers at Petrified Forest National Park. Hiking out into the Painted Desert at night, where there's so little light pollution that you can watch satellites travel across the sky is the most beautiful thing ever.
💻 vs. 🚲 Are you more of an indoor or outdoor person? Has it changed over time?
This entirely depends on where I am. When I was at Petrified Forest, you couldn't keep me indoors. I was constantly out and about, and I loved every minute of it. Now that I live in The South, you pretty much have to drag me outdoors any time it's not spring or fall. I just despise humidity, so going out is pretty miserable most of the year.
✍️ Bonus Challenge (+50 Points): Award yourself a scout-type merit badge for something you did over the past year.
My merit badge is going to be "Stepping Waaaaaay Outside of my Comfort Zone in the Weirdest Way Possible."
I've been trying to find something to do lately that engages more with my community. The pandemic really affected my ability to social. Over the last year, I've been volunteering as a religious education teacher at my congregation. I'm kind of an oddball, being the atheist who was raised Catholic at a Unitarian Universalist Congregation where I'm one of the few who was raised in any form of Christianity. I've been teaching 5th-8th graders, and it's been one of the highlights of my year. It's super odd though to be the one sharing the Christian point of view on things. Guess those 9 years of Catholic school weren't a total wash!
Well done! Patience is not only a virtue, but a game-winning strategy.
Petrified Forest National Park looks absolutely gorgeous, particularly those multi-colored mountains. There's nothing quite like a clear night sky to remind you that we are just tiny specs in a vast universe and that is beautiful in-and-of-itself.
+50 points! Oh wow, that's a fascinating choice of profession for an atheist. Has it worked? Do you feel more connected with the community, even though you don't personally believe the gospel? I can imagine there's some friction there.
I do feel more connected, and honestly, I realize how much I enjoy that age group. Old enough to be interesting, but not quite teens yet. :) Thankfully, no friction in the congregational community. UUs welcome anyone of all beliefs, so there's agnostics, atheists, pagans, Humanists, some Christians without a particular church they affiliate with.... We even had an LDS family for a while!
7th grade was the toughest for me growing up. I remember it being a difficult year. Glad those kids have someone cool like yourself as a teacher!
I played this one several times. I died multiple ways. I'm mildly afraid of heights, and this game proved that my fear extends to games too. In other words, I did what I could to avoid jumping off the cliff, but it's tough out their for a peon.
Best scenic location? This is a toss up for me. Last summer we visited Alaska and it really knocked my socks off. But I'm also a huge fan of the Grand Canyon. I've been three times, and I'm always struck by its beauty. All that being said, I'm more of an indoors person, but as I get older I find that I do appreciate the outdoors more.
I worked in Arizona for two summers in college, and we were only 4 hours from the Grand Canyon. (We were also half an hour from the nearest gas station, so 4 hours was no big deal....) I was amazed at how every time we went, it was just as breathtaking as the first time. Did you hike any of the canyon?
I've been to Arizona many times, but instead of enjoying the splendid beauty of the Grand Canyon, I was slinging books in a florescent lit convention center at Phoenix Comic Con. (Then going for dinner at the only restaurant still opened after the con closed, the terrible Tilted Kilt.)
I'm not a hiker, but if I ever make it back to Arizona, I really want to see the Grand Canyon.
It may warm your heart to know that the Tilted Kilt near use burnt down.
* Celebratory Bagpipes *
Sadly, I didn't hike. I'm not much of a hiker. Mostly just took in the views.
The screaming agony in my calves once I made it back to the top after going down to Three Mile House says your decision was definitely the better one. 😂
Haha, yeah I gotta protect my calves, that’s my excuse. 😂
Yeah, not gonna lie, the peon life isn't great. But if you died multiple times, I hope you also found one of the paths to riches and safety. Hint: As long as you hold the invulnerability stone, they can't get ya!
Your write-up of your Alaska trip was terrific. I enjoy all your travel logs. Adventurers who are reading this, I've said it before and I'll say it again, check out Situation Normal: https://michaelestrin.substack.com/
Thanks for the hint & the kind shout out!