March 31, 2010
Got to Moab...The wind is still up....too windy to bike today....
Walked around town a bit and then drove through Arches National Park and did a short hike.
Bill says...yep....more rock.....next......
Oh did I mention it is their busiest week of the year......national jeep week....just us and all the motorheads here.....
Deb:)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
March 30,2010
Spent the night at the Camping World in Salt Lake....Brakes were fried....leaf springs were loose....that is a scary thought....a few other problems that we are going to wait to get fixed....
Very, very windy here.....hope it follows us to Hatteras....Heading to Moab tomorrow.
Deb:)
PS Ron are you out there??? How about Colorado???HELP.....
Spent the night at the Camping World in Salt Lake....Brakes were fried....leaf springs were loose....that is a scary thought....a few other problems that we are going to wait to get fixed....
Very, very windy here.....hope it follows us to Hatteras....Heading to Moab tomorrow.
Deb:)
PS Ron are you out there??? How about Colorado???HELP.....
March 29, 2010
Helped Jon and Drew clean up the last of the remaining food, said our good-byes and got ourselves organized for the next part of our adventure.
Went into Ogden and got some new tires put on the trailer as we were legally bald....16,000km so far...booked an appointment for our trailer brakes in Salt Lake as we fried them on our drive down from Powder Mountain.
Spending the night at Camping World...we are bagged!
Thanks again Jon for the hot showers in your fishbowl shower and my first look at a Honeymoon Suite....didn't have one of those in our ant infested room in Maui.......Thanks also for all the Clif Bars and other treats....we won't go hungry now. We will have the white russians ready for you in Hatteras
Deb:)
Helped Jon and Drew clean up the last of the remaining food, said our good-byes and got ourselves organized for the next part of our adventure.
Went into Ogden and got some new tires put on the trailer as we were legally bald....16,000km so far...booked an appointment for our trailer brakes in Salt Lake as we fried them on our drive down from Powder Mountain.
Spending the night at Camping World...we are bagged!
Thanks again Jon for the hot showers in your fishbowl shower and my first look at a Honeymoon Suite....didn't have one of those in our ant infested room in Maui.......Thanks also for all the Clif Bars and other treats....we won't go hungry now. We will have the white russians ready for you in Hatteras
Deb:)
Monday, March 29, 2010
March 28, 2010
How about a perfect blue bird day for our final day of ski testing! Actually I didn’t test too many skis today as I helped Drew’s girlfriend Michelle ski. It was really fun to hang out with her. She snowboards so she picked up skiing pretty quickly and we had some great giggles on the chair lift.
Bill decided to change up lunch a bit today as we had been serving sandwiches all week. He decided to bring the barbeque and do up some hotdogs. I think everyone really enjoyed the treat.
Most of the skiers left today and there were only about 12 of us left for dinner so we all went out.
It was kind of sad to say good-bye as I felt like I was just getting to know everyone (which usually takes me a couple days as I am shy) and having so much fun….I really hated for it to end.
March 27, 2010
Wow that was a late night….I woke up with a very painful calf cramp during the night…gee I wonder why. I have skied non-stop for over a month and went for a not recommended insane hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Tough decision, but I decided to stay back today and maybe soak in the hot tub, stretch and treat myself to a much deserved massage.
It was a beautiful sunny day and I enjoyed a nice walk, little shop, long hot tub and an evening massage. The massage therapist couldn’t meet me until dinner time, but I felt so much better after she worked on me. She said “damn girl what have you been up to your legs are so tight!” We have pretty much done something active every day since we left Mid-December besides the days we have been driving.
I enjoyed the “me” day very much! I should be good to go again tomorrow.
Nite.
D
March 26, 2010
I had a really great day today. I skied with Bill in the morning and then skied with my new friend Christine and her 2 little girls Anna and Maria. I met up with them in the lunch area. I saw Maria cuddled up to her mom and could tell she did not want to go back out in the snow and wind (I wasn’t too sure I wanted to either), but Anna did want to go, so her and I were going to go for a couple of runs. All of a sudden Maria decided Anna wasn’t going to meet a new friend to ski with without her joining in…too cute. I was completely blown away with the way these girls could rip. They are 7 and 9 and were not afraid of anything. Anna liked going fast and the bumps that made her tummy feel funny and Maria was a little dare devil and wanted to go down the black diamond run under the lift. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when I see the way their mom and dad can ski. It was so great to see them enjoy the sport together as a family. They live in Bozeman Montana and the girls were very proud to tell me they own 3 pair of skis each..one for resort skiing, one for cross-country and of course their backcountry skis which they even have skins for! Dad does some work for backcountry magazine, teaches avi courses and they own their own business. It was pure joy to ski with them. Every once in awhile we would lose track of mom and Anna would look at me and say “I guess she is gone tree skiing again…she likes the trees .“
We did quite a few runs together and checked out both sides of Powder Mountain and the next thing we knew it was time to head back to the ski lodge or miss the bus! What a great day! Thank you girls!
We caught the bus back down to the lodge, had dinner and prepped for the big progression party that Mindy had organized. Don’t know if any of you have been to a progression party before , but you move from room to room and each person serves a different kind of drink (or food for some progression parties).
Let me tell you this crowd can ski hard and they party hard. In Mindy’s room you had to compete against someone by drinking a beer through the beak of a pink flamingo??? It was around this time that someone decided the mullet should make a comeback and started cutting hair….yikes….
I think we made a pretty good first year impression by co- hosting our party with Shaggy and Cookie outside at the trailer by setting up a bar on Bills stand-up paddle board and served white Russians while the Big Lebowski played on our computer. The only down fall was we had the last stop of the progression party so I had to stay up way, way past my bedtime….good thing I don’t drink huh…Anna and Maria set up a hydration stand serving water and squirt drinks (with a tip jar for their college education).
Another fantastic day!
I have to say even though we had a buck list when we left home…it is all the things we didn’t plan and things that have just happened like Jon inviting us here at the last minute that have left us with such incredible memories and the gift of new friendships.
Deb
How about a perfect blue bird day for our final day of ski testing! Actually I didn’t test too many skis today as I helped Drew’s girlfriend Michelle ski. It was really fun to hang out with her. She snowboards so she picked up skiing pretty quickly and we had some great giggles on the chair lift.
Bill decided to change up lunch a bit today as we had been serving sandwiches all week. He decided to bring the barbeque and do up some hotdogs. I think everyone really enjoyed the treat.
Most of the skiers left today and there were only about 12 of us left for dinner so we all went out.
It was kind of sad to say good-bye as I felt like I was just getting to know everyone (which usually takes me a couple days as I am shy) and having so much fun….I really hated for it to end.
March 27, 2010
Wow that was a late night….I woke up with a very painful calf cramp during the night…gee I wonder why. I have skied non-stop for over a month and went for a not recommended insane hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Tough decision, but I decided to stay back today and maybe soak in the hot tub, stretch and treat myself to a much deserved massage.
It was a beautiful sunny day and I enjoyed a nice walk, little shop, long hot tub and an evening massage. The massage therapist couldn’t meet me until dinner time, but I felt so much better after she worked on me. She said “damn girl what have you been up to your legs are so tight!” We have pretty much done something active every day since we left Mid-December besides the days we have been driving.
I enjoyed the “me” day very much! I should be good to go again tomorrow.
Nite.
D
March 26, 2010
I had a really great day today. I skied with Bill in the morning and then skied with my new friend Christine and her 2 little girls Anna and Maria. I met up with them in the lunch area. I saw Maria cuddled up to her mom and could tell she did not want to go back out in the snow and wind (I wasn’t too sure I wanted to either), but Anna did want to go, so her and I were going to go for a couple of runs. All of a sudden Maria decided Anna wasn’t going to meet a new friend to ski with without her joining in…too cute. I was completely blown away with the way these girls could rip. They are 7 and 9 and were not afraid of anything. Anna liked going fast and the bumps that made her tummy feel funny and Maria was a little dare devil and wanted to go down the black diamond run under the lift. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when I see the way their mom and dad can ski. It was so great to see them enjoy the sport together as a family. They live in Bozeman Montana and the girls were very proud to tell me they own 3 pair of skis each..one for resort skiing, one for cross-country and of course their backcountry skis which they even have skins for! Dad does some work for backcountry magazine, teaches avi courses and they own their own business. It was pure joy to ski with them. Every once in awhile we would lose track of mom and Anna would look at me and say “I guess she is gone tree skiing again…she likes the trees .“
We did quite a few runs together and checked out both sides of Powder Mountain and the next thing we knew it was time to head back to the ski lodge or miss the bus! What a great day! Thank you girls!
We caught the bus back down to the lodge, had dinner and prepped for the big progression party that Mindy had organized. Don’t know if any of you have been to a progression party before , but you move from room to room and each person serves a different kind of drink (or food for some progression parties).
Let me tell you this crowd can ski hard and they party hard. In Mindy’s room you had to compete against someone by drinking a beer through the beak of a pink flamingo??? It was around this time that someone decided the mullet should make a comeback and started cutting hair….yikes….
I think we made a pretty good first year impression by co- hosting our party with Shaggy and Cookie outside at the trailer by setting up a bar on Bills stand-up paddle board and served white Russians while the Big Lebowski played on our computer. The only down fall was we had the last stop of the progression party so I had to stay up way, way past my bedtime….good thing I don’t drink huh…Anna and Maria set up a hydration stand serving water and squirt drinks (with a tip jar for their college education).
Another fantastic day!
I have to say even though we had a buck list when we left home…it is all the things we didn’t plan and things that have just happened like Jon inviting us here at the last minute that have left us with such incredible memories and the gift of new friendships.
Deb
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
March 24, 2010
We are enjoying our time here at the lodge! Jon asked us to be in charge of the lunches for the ski testers. There are 42 (sick) ski testers that were flown here by Backcountry Magazine and we get to be part of it...can you believe that??? I honestly was happy just making lunch for them...Most of the skiers are tele skiers and they are wicked, wicked skiers.
I can't believe the amount of gear we get to try..literally hundreds of skis. All tele and AT bindings. I got to test 6 pairs of skis today. I haven't finished filling out my reports on them yet, but I certainly know which ones I like. The testing goes on until Sunday...
It was very sunny today and the conditions were pretty good...not a lot of snow, but still good skiing.
Needless to say I am not doing a lot of skiing under the chair lift with these pros sitting on it....Bill says I ripped it up, but I am not so sure when I see these girls fly.
Thanks for taking such great care of us Jonny Boy!
Deb:)
We are enjoying our time here at the lodge! Jon asked us to be in charge of the lunches for the ski testers. There are 42 (sick) ski testers that were flown here by Backcountry Magazine and we get to be part of it...can you believe that??? I honestly was happy just making lunch for them...Most of the skiers are tele skiers and they are wicked, wicked skiers.
I can't believe the amount of gear we get to try..literally hundreds of skis. All tele and AT bindings. I got to test 6 pairs of skis today. I haven't finished filling out my reports on them yet, but I certainly know which ones I like. The testing goes on until Sunday...
It was very sunny today and the conditions were pretty good...not a lot of snow, but still good skiing.
Needless to say I am not doing a lot of skiing under the chair lift with these pros sitting on it....Bill says I ripped it up, but I am not so sure when I see these girls fly.
Thanks for taking such great care of us Jonny Boy!
Deb:)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
March 23, 2010
Got up this morning and decided to head to Ogden to try and find Jon and maybe check out the Mountain as we have never skied at Powder Mountain before. I honestly don't know how these things happen to us....part of the adventure I guess.
We called the Mountain and asked if there was any way we could spend the night up there with our trailer (as we didn't yet know if we were able to stay in the parking lot of the lodge Jon was staying at). The Manager said yes, but to just pick our time to drive up as there as there was a few flurries in the air. We decided we would just go for it seeing as we made it over the Kootney Pass, Mountains in Montana, Tahoe and we were pros with our chains right? Away we went...not too bad, dry roads and then we saw a sign that said steep, windy roads for the next 7 miles....we have seen many of these signs along our travels and just sailed right on past. A few minutes later Bill was like "I can't get the van to go any faster what is wrong?" The road got steeper and steeper by the minute and now there was slush on the road and so many coroners which you could not see around to know what was ahead of you...not that it would have helped anyway as there was absolutely no way you could turn around as there was no shoulder. So we started spinning out and Yep we got stuck....out come the chains...I was trying to direct traffic, but because there was so many twists in the road a few people slowed down when they saw me and yep you guessed it they got stuck too...so now we are in a real mess....So we whipped out the bag of sand we brought with us in case of an Emergency and tried to help the people we managed to get stuck....both of us trying to push these cars up the hill. Fresh snow on the mountain and we are causing all this headache for people..I am sure they are saying dumb Canadians!
Ok...the chains are just not going to help, they are not gripping or biting at all. Well, maybe if we dump out all our water that will lighten our load. (I felt a little tear well up at this thought as I know that means no showers for the week we are here skiing). Let's give that a try....oh shit the lines are frozen now...great....Maybe if we use a hand or foot wamer that will thaw it out...nope...maybe if I boil water....nope...
I better walk up to the chalet and let them know we have a problem! As we are going to really screw up this road without flares or anything to mark trouble ahead. Off I go up the steep hill to find someone. I find 2 ski patrols who look at me and laugh and say "ya that happens all the time...the road is bad huh?". I am thinking maybe the guy on the phone this morning might have mentioned this road is really not recommended for RV's?? He says try your best and come back if things aren't going well and maybe he can send a loader down or something....ok then....back I go.
Oh....a snowplow...he will help us. He stuck his head out the window and started giving Bill a blast of shit...."Those aren't snow tires...didn't you read the sign you need snow tires and chains on this road....do you know how many people die on this road in a year....you think going up is something..just wait until you try and go down....cars, rvs and trucks burn out their brakes all the time here and blow their transmission and end up going off the cliff at 80-100 miles an hour." He proceeded to tell us several stories to make his point and said "you are going to have to try and back it down a bit to the point I have already plowed and I am going to have to make a couple of passes in front of you to see if that helps" and he pulled away in a huff.
Holy shit how are we going to back this down the road without jack-kniffing or going off a cliff. So Bill's idea is to go inch by inch with me behind holding chaulks that hopefully I can stuff under the trailer wheels if it decides to take off backwards....sounds like a dumb idea to me, but what are the other alternatives....so I paid close attention to Bill and we managed to do it.
Oh look here comes the friendly little plow guy again and he has brought a friend with flashing lights. I am now under the trailer trying to thaw the pipes with my bare hands. Oh no....he is going to charge us for sure for not having snow tires. Nope he just sits there with his lights flashing..not going to help I guess. He did eventually get out and he was just a young guy and Bill started talking to him about Tahoe and he just happened to be from there and that made things cool...no charges.. The plow guy does his little run by a couple of times and Bill decides he is going to take the chains off and give it a try. So I run out and grab them and grab the chaulks and watch Bill drive away.....The police officier follows him and oh...here comes the plow guy again..what do I do just keep walking uphill? He stops and tells me to get in the plow with him...he looks a little friendlier now. He is giving me his toothless smile..beats walking with all this stuff...in I hop. It ends up he was a very nice man he just gets so concerned about this road and I can certainly see why. He told us it is one of the steepest hills in North America as did the police officer. It has sections of 21%..yep that is where we got stuck...You would think they would have that posted at the bottom. Most signs that we have seen going to the ski resorts have said the grade and if we had seen 21% we would not have even tried!!!
So we made it to the top...now what???..We are both worn out and the wind if howling, so we are not going to ski...just hang out until we can get a hold of Jon and see whats up. This is really the first afternoon we have just sat and read a magazine....Then there was a little knock on our window and it was Jon and Justin. I guess Jon's flight didn't make it in during the night..he spent the night in Newark..He invited us to stay at the lodge in the parking lot which was great...just one big question...HOW DO WE GET DOWN??? Jon asked if I wanted to ride with them..nope if Bill is going down I am going with him....They said they would go in front of us with their suburban rental in case anything went bad. They were familiar with the road as they hold thier ski tests here every year. We made it down safe and sound, but we did have to stop 3 times to let things cool down as our brakes were burning big time. We might have burned the brakes out in the trailer, we will get that checked out when we go back towards Salt Lake.
Never a dull moment...I guess that is part of this adventure!!
We are all settled at the lodge and have beautiful views (and a spa right across the Street I might have to check out!)
Thanks for saving us Jon!!!
D&B
Got up this morning and decided to head to Ogden to try and find Jon and maybe check out the Mountain as we have never skied at Powder Mountain before. I honestly don't know how these things happen to us....part of the adventure I guess.
We called the Mountain and asked if there was any way we could spend the night up there with our trailer (as we didn't yet know if we were able to stay in the parking lot of the lodge Jon was staying at). The Manager said yes, but to just pick our time to drive up as there as there was a few flurries in the air. We decided we would just go for it seeing as we made it over the Kootney Pass, Mountains in Montana, Tahoe and we were pros with our chains right? Away we went...not too bad, dry roads and then we saw a sign that said steep, windy roads for the next 7 miles....we have seen many of these signs along our travels and just sailed right on past. A few minutes later Bill was like "I can't get the van to go any faster what is wrong?" The road got steeper and steeper by the minute and now there was slush on the road and so many coroners which you could not see around to know what was ahead of you...not that it would have helped anyway as there was absolutely no way you could turn around as there was no shoulder. So we started spinning out and Yep we got stuck....out come the chains...I was trying to direct traffic, but because there was so many twists in the road a few people slowed down when they saw me and yep you guessed it they got stuck too...so now we are in a real mess....So we whipped out the bag of sand we brought with us in case of an Emergency and tried to help the people we managed to get stuck....both of us trying to push these cars up the hill. Fresh snow on the mountain and we are causing all this headache for people..I am sure they are saying dumb Canadians!
Ok...the chains are just not going to help, they are not gripping or biting at all. Well, maybe if we dump out all our water that will lighten our load. (I felt a little tear well up at this thought as I know that means no showers for the week we are here skiing). Let's give that a try....oh shit the lines are frozen now...great....Maybe if we use a hand or foot wamer that will thaw it out...nope...maybe if I boil water....nope...
I better walk up to the chalet and let them know we have a problem! As we are going to really screw up this road without flares or anything to mark trouble ahead. Off I go up the steep hill to find someone. I find 2 ski patrols who look at me and laugh and say "ya that happens all the time...the road is bad huh?". I am thinking maybe the guy on the phone this morning might have mentioned this road is really not recommended for RV's?? He says try your best and come back if things aren't going well and maybe he can send a loader down or something....ok then....back I go.
Oh....a snowplow...he will help us. He stuck his head out the window and started giving Bill a blast of shit...."Those aren't snow tires...didn't you read the sign you need snow tires and chains on this road....do you know how many people die on this road in a year....you think going up is something..just wait until you try and go down....cars, rvs and trucks burn out their brakes all the time here and blow their transmission and end up going off the cliff at 80-100 miles an hour." He proceeded to tell us several stories to make his point and said "you are going to have to try and back it down a bit to the point I have already plowed and I am going to have to make a couple of passes in front of you to see if that helps" and he pulled away in a huff.
Holy shit how are we going to back this down the road without jack-kniffing or going off a cliff. So Bill's idea is to go inch by inch with me behind holding chaulks that hopefully I can stuff under the trailer wheels if it decides to take off backwards....sounds like a dumb idea to me, but what are the other alternatives....so I paid close attention to Bill and we managed to do it.
Oh look here comes the friendly little plow guy again and he has brought a friend with flashing lights. I am now under the trailer trying to thaw the pipes with my bare hands. Oh no....he is going to charge us for sure for not having snow tires. Nope he just sits there with his lights flashing..not going to help I guess. He did eventually get out and he was just a young guy and Bill started talking to him about Tahoe and he just happened to be from there and that made things cool...no charges.. The plow guy does his little run by a couple of times and Bill decides he is going to take the chains off and give it a try. So I run out and grab them and grab the chaulks and watch Bill drive away.....The police officier follows him and oh...here comes the plow guy again..what do I do just keep walking uphill? He stops and tells me to get in the plow with him...he looks a little friendlier now. He is giving me his toothless smile..beats walking with all this stuff...in I hop. It ends up he was a very nice man he just gets so concerned about this road and I can certainly see why. He told us it is one of the steepest hills in North America as did the police officer. It has sections of 21%..yep that is where we got stuck...You would think they would have that posted at the bottom. Most signs that we have seen going to the ski resorts have said the grade and if we had seen 21% we would not have even tried!!!
So we made it to the top...now what???..We are both worn out and the wind if howling, so we are not going to ski...just hang out until we can get a hold of Jon and see whats up. This is really the first afternoon we have just sat and read a magazine....Then there was a little knock on our window and it was Jon and Justin. I guess Jon's flight didn't make it in during the night..he spent the night in Newark..He invited us to stay at the lodge in the parking lot which was great...just one big question...HOW DO WE GET DOWN??? Jon asked if I wanted to ride with them..nope if Bill is going down I am going with him....They said they would go in front of us with their suburban rental in case anything went bad. They were familiar with the road as they hold thier ski tests here every year. We made it down safe and sound, but we did have to stop 3 times to let things cool down as our brakes were burning big time. We might have burned the brakes out in the trailer, we will get that checked out when we go back towards Salt Lake.
Never a dull moment...I guess that is part of this adventure!!
We are all settled at the lodge and have beautiful views (and a spa right across the Street I might have to check out!)
Thanks for saving us Jon!!!
D&B
March 22, 2010
We went into the Cementation office in Sandy this morning to say hi to Mr. Nadon and some of the other workers there. Bill was very surprised to see 5 other people that he knew from previous jobs he had worked on. Everyone was really friendly and the office is very nice. We might get to see Mr. Nadon later on this week and maybe Derek one of his son’s who is here visiting.
Did some more shopping and found a few deals on toques, gloves and ski pants.
Our friend Jon arrives tonight from Vermont and we hope to meet him at Powder Mountain tomorrow to help out with Backcounty Magazine ski testing in whatever way Jon puts us to work!
Bye for now!
Deb
PS coach how is the arm? Do you still have a cast on? Are you still able to get the chores done?
March 21, 2010
Drove from Zion to Salt Lake City today. The driving was good. The speed limit in some places was 80 miles an hour…can you imagine?? I saw one young girl driving so fast, she was texting and I noticed she had a baby in the back seat of her little car.
We stopped at a few ski shops to look at the sales and then looked for a Wal-Mart to sleep at. We found one and it was in a real industrial area and we were woken up to 5 car alarms and 2 gun shots at 1:30am. Bill sat right up in bed and said time to move!! We drove back down the freeway to an area we were more familiar with and found another Wal-mart. (sorry mom)
So much for a good night’s sleep…hehe..
CONGRATULATIONS TO DEAN AND JANE ON THEIR NEW BABY BOY ETHAN PRICE. IT IS EXCITING FOR ME TO BE AN AUNTIE TWICE IN ONE MONTH!
Deb
We went into the Cementation office in Sandy this morning to say hi to Mr. Nadon and some of the other workers there. Bill was very surprised to see 5 other people that he knew from previous jobs he had worked on. Everyone was really friendly and the office is very nice. We might get to see Mr. Nadon later on this week and maybe Derek one of his son’s who is here visiting.
Did some more shopping and found a few deals on toques, gloves and ski pants.
Our friend Jon arrives tonight from Vermont and we hope to meet him at Powder Mountain tomorrow to help out with Backcounty Magazine ski testing in whatever way Jon puts us to work!
Bye for now!
Deb
PS coach how is the arm? Do you still have a cast on? Are you still able to get the chores done?
March 21, 2010
Drove from Zion to Salt Lake City today. The driving was good. The speed limit in some places was 80 miles an hour…can you imagine?? I saw one young girl driving so fast, she was texting and I noticed she had a baby in the back seat of her little car.
We stopped at a few ski shops to look at the sales and then looked for a Wal-Mart to sleep at. We found one and it was in a real industrial area and we were woken up to 5 car alarms and 2 gun shots at 1:30am. Bill sat right up in bed and said time to move!! We drove back down the freeway to an area we were more familiar with and found another Wal-mart. (sorry mom)
So much for a good night’s sleep…hehe..
CONGRATULATIONS TO DEAN AND JANE ON THEIR NEW BABY BOY ETHAN PRICE. IT IS EXCITING FOR ME TO BE AN AUNTIE TWICE IN ONE MONTH!
Deb
March 20, 2010
The drive to Zion National Park was very pretty. The red rock actually had ripples in it and looked like waves. We found out after entering the park that we were actually too wide to fit through the second tunnel which goes right through the rocks. They had to close the road down for 5-6 minutes to let us through the tunnel by ourselves as the two lanes were not wide enough for 2 cars to pass with our trailer being 8 feet wide.
We drove through the small town of Springdale and found a little campground. We were told at the visitor’s station it was easy to get around with your bikes so we biked up and did the Emerald Pool hike. It is just amazing how sheer the rocks are and you can actually see where gigantic pieces just feel out. Rock climbing is really popular here. I don’t think you would want to be a beginner with these rocks!
It was an easy hike with a lower, middle and upper pool, it felt really good to stretch those calves out! The ride home went quick as it was mostly downhill and followed the river which was nice.
We went back to the campground and made some dinner and then went for a drive to the end of the hwy and did a short hike at the temple of Sinawava. We also did a little evening walk around the shops….beautiful jewelry, but I was a good girl…darn it….
Deb
PS Rob, I think you and Michelle would really like it in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. There are lots of nice hikes, biking, camping and nice lodges. You could bike in Moab too which we plan on doing in the next week or 10 days.
The drive to Zion National Park was very pretty. The red rock actually had ripples in it and looked like waves. We found out after entering the park that we were actually too wide to fit through the second tunnel which goes right through the rocks. They had to close the road down for 5-6 minutes to let us through the tunnel by ourselves as the two lanes were not wide enough for 2 cars to pass with our trailer being 8 feet wide.
We drove through the small town of Springdale and found a little campground. We were told at the visitor’s station it was easy to get around with your bikes so we biked up and did the Emerald Pool hike. It is just amazing how sheer the rocks are and you can actually see where gigantic pieces just feel out. Rock climbing is really popular here. I don’t think you would want to be a beginner with these rocks!
It was an easy hike with a lower, middle and upper pool, it felt really good to stretch those calves out! The ride home went quick as it was mostly downhill and followed the river which was nice.
We went back to the campground and made some dinner and then went for a drive to the end of the hwy and did a short hike at the temple of Sinawava. We also did a little evening walk around the shops….beautiful jewelry, but I was a good girl…darn it….
Deb
PS Rob, I think you and Michelle would really like it in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. There are lots of nice hikes, biking, camping and nice lodges. You could bike in Moab too which we plan on doing in the next week or 10 days.
Monday, March 22, 2010
March 19, 2010
Got up and started drying our gear out. We hung up a line and put things out to dry. The campground was empty this morning. We had a friendly elk come and hang out on our site.
I slept really good last night. I had a bit of restless legs when I first laid down, but they settled down quickly. You could really hear the coyotes and the stars were amazing.
We didn’t get to spend a ton of time here, but I feel as though I have experienced the Grand Canyon from the top and bottom , so I am very satisfied with the time we spent there. We stopped a few times on the way out to just look one more time at the beauty of it.
We drove to Kanab Utah. We stopped at a few of the native jewelry stands on the Navajo reserve and they had some very beautiful pieces. I kept it simple with one turquoise ring and a little something for mom. I really enjoyed talking to the natives and seeing their jewelry and crafts.
We hit a sandstorm for part of the drive and that was really something to see. The sand was being swirled around up into what looked like funnel clouds. We were thinking we might need a new filter for the van by the time we got to Utah. Things settled down and the drive was very pretty with the red rock and the long views you get. We stopped at Lake Powell, checked out the damn there and walked over the bridge.
We pulled over at an information centre and spent the night.
Deb:)
Got up and started drying our gear out. We hung up a line and put things out to dry. The campground was empty this morning. We had a friendly elk come and hang out on our site.
I slept really good last night. I had a bit of restless legs when I first laid down, but they settled down quickly. You could really hear the coyotes and the stars were amazing.
We didn’t get to spend a ton of time here, but I feel as though I have experienced the Grand Canyon from the top and bottom , so I am very satisfied with the time we spent there. We stopped a few times on the way out to just look one more time at the beauty of it.
We drove to Kanab Utah. We stopped at a few of the native jewelry stands on the Navajo reserve and they had some very beautiful pieces. I kept it simple with one turquoise ring and a little something for mom. I really enjoyed talking to the natives and seeing their jewelry and crafts.
We hit a sandstorm for part of the drive and that was really something to see. The sand was being swirled around up into what looked like funnel clouds. We were thinking we might need a new filter for the van by the time we got to Utah. Things settled down and the drive was very pretty with the red rock and the long views you get. We stopped at Lake Powell, checked out the damn there and walked over the bridge.
We pulled over at an information centre and spent the night.
Deb:)
Saturday, March 20, 2010
March 16, 2010
We arrived at the Grand Canyon at around 3:00 after a quick stop in Flagstaff. As we were paying our entry fee into the park the ranger told us it was very full and we probably wouldn’t get a camping spot at Mather Campground as we planned.We headed right to the campground and the rangers there were great and couldn’t do enough for us and the price was right at $18.00 a night.
We arrived at the Grand Canyon at around 3:00 after a quick stop in Flagstaff. As we were paying our entry fee into the park the ranger told us it was very full and we probably wouldn’t get a camping spot at Mather Campground as we planned.We headed right to the campground and the rangers there were great and couldn’t do enough for us and the price was right at $18.00 a night.
Next on our list was getting to the backcountry office and seeing if we could talk someone in to granting us a permit to head down into the canyon. All the literature we had read was saying you needed to apply for a permit 4 months ahead in writing or by fax. Luckily we found another very helpful ranger who spent about 30 minutes with us. We told her we wanted to go on a great hike where we could be alone and away from the crowds. She said all the popular hiking permits were long gone, but she did have one that she could tell us about that was going to be very challenging to do in 2 days, or we could come back in the morning and get onto a waiting list and keep going back each morning to see if we could get a permit. Not going to happen as she now had our full attention with the challenging hike!
Well she said “how are your route finding skills as these trails are not marked and lots of people who try this hike panic once they get half way down and drop their gear and run out of the canyon or never make it to the campsite in time and end up camping on the trail?.” She said they don’t really recommend this hike as it is not maintaned and another major issue is water as you don’t have access to water until you get down to the river which is mud brown, but there is a clear little creek running into it. So we had to hike down 4500 feet or 16.5 km before we could replenish our water in 80 degree weather, totally exposed with no shade. Hmmm…..So the lower you go in the canyon the hotter it gets!
I just had a couple more questions for her…..Are there any rattlesnakes? We had read that there was tranculas, scorpions, snakes, ring tail cats and bats. “Well she said I have lived here 10 years and only have seen 3 snakes so you would consider yourself lucky if you see one.” I replied “well I am a little bit of a snake magnet”(Mary)….She told us you just have to keep everything in your tent with you and sleep with your food in between you in the tent so scavengers don’t get it…what??? Big no no at home and can you imagine scavengers eating your food when she just told us you have to eat at least twice as much as you normally do in a day. I know all of you at work are laughing right now thinking of me and all my Rubbermaid containers full of food and how am I going to carry all that down4500 feet and what am I going to bring to eat!
Well we had some thinking to do, but we didn’t come here to just be tourists so we better give it a shot!
Well we had some thinking to do, but we didn’t come here to just be tourists so we better give it a shot!
We drove to an outlook and starred down into the canyon and I just could not comprehend how huge it was. I could see the river way down below and wondered what have I gotten myself in to? We went to the store and bought everything we thought we might need. We had been warned to bring salty snacks as lots of people have problems with dizziness. We organized all our camping gear, water filters, food, dry clothes, hats, sunscreen etc. wow that makes for a heavy load…I knew we had been in altitude and that was going to help us, but I had concerns about the desert heat and the fact that sometimes I think I am a camel and that I don’t need to drink water….as my running friends know.
Also not being able to find shade or water if we needed it. Well we are going to do this so I might as well lie down and get a good night’s sleep!
Wish me luck!
Deb
Wish me luck!
Deb
March 17, 2010
We got to the trailhead at around 9:00am. A little bit of a late start, but it just took us that long to get organized and to drive to the trailhead which had a coded gate. Right at the trailhead was a story about a Boston marathoner /med student who died of dehydration…yikes…ok I promise to drink. There also was a sign that said climbing out is mandatory…ok…Here we go…..deeper and deeper into the canyon. We hit a little patch of snow on the way down, but soon we were right into that heat I was worried about. Oh that is intense……glad I kept my pants on and wore high hiking boots as all plant life and trees are not your friend..all very prickly..ouch…Also be careful where you place your hands…never know what is between the rocks.
We got to the trailhead at around 9:00am. A little bit of a late start, but it just took us that long to get organized and to drive to the trailhead which had a coded gate. Right at the trailhead was a story about a Boston marathoner /med student who died of dehydration…yikes…ok I promise to drink. There also was a sign that said climbing out is mandatory…ok…Here we go…..deeper and deeper into the canyon. We hit a little patch of snow on the way down, but soon we were right into that heat I was worried about. Oh that is intense……glad I kept my pants on and wore high hiking boots as all plant life and trees are not your friend..all very prickly..ouch…Also be careful where you place your hands…never know what is between the rocks.
Things got pretty challenging about ½ way WOW! Now I believe the park ranger and her stories. We took our time and made sure we were drinking lots. It is amazing how focused I became on my water. What if I spill it, or it leaks, or I drop it down the canyon…amazing where your head goes when you are tired and HOT…
It is funny everyone talks about the climb out and how you should allow yourself twice the time it took you to get down, but Bill and I both feel that going down is harder. It is just so steep and harder on your feet and knees especially with the big packs.
I found you couldn’t really enjoy the views unless you totally stopped and lifted your head. You just had to concentrate on your footing so much and the only thing marking the trails was the odd cairns and you had to be watching the ground for foot prints and pole markings…especially in a few areas. The rock slides were the trickest part as you didn’t really have any markings to follow(as she had warned us this is where people get lost by going up or down instead of traversing). Bill and I both agreed that only about 3-4 km of the trail was moderate and all the rest was difficult. You had rocks rolling under your feet, starting small slides yourself and big rock slides to climb over. I found everything intensified as you got tired and started stumbling.
I found you couldn’t really enjoy the views unless you totally stopped and lifted your head. You just had to concentrate on your footing so much and the only thing marking the trails was the odd cairns and you had to be watching the ground for foot prints and pole markings…especially in a few areas. The rock slides were the trickest part as you didn’t really have any markings to follow(as she had warned us this is where people get lost by going up or down instead of traversing). Bill and I both agreed that only about 3-4 km of the trail was moderate and all the rest was difficult. You had rocks rolling under your feet, starting small slides yourself and big rock slides to climb over. I found everything intensified as you got tired and started stumbling.
All of a sudden my big toes starting really hurting and you had to just not think about your aches and pains and to push forward to make it to your site before dark.
We made it to Monument Creek and knew we were getting close. We got down in to the creek bed and it seemed to go on forever and Bill was getting really concerned about water. He kept saying…”she said there would be water in the creek,how come there is no water?” Then all of a sudden we could hear the Colorado River…yeah!! And we looked down at our feet and a little clear stream was running between our legs. We got to our site around 4:00 and took off our hiking boots and immediately put our feet in the cold river and it felt so great…I can’t even tell you how great that felt on my feet …better than any pedicure I have ever had. (I just didn't feel right going to the washroom in the river which is what the park ranger told us we had to do.)
We set up camp and had dinner and tried to make it until dark, but just wanted to crawl into our bags. We crawled into our bags and Bill looked at me and said “are we going to be ok to get out of here? Do you think it is going to take double the time?” Thoughts to ponder over night…I bet the stars would have been amazing as the moon was shining brightly into my side of the tent. I wanted to get up and look, but Bill had warned me about not getting out into the sand in my barefeet and I was busy guarding my food!!
Goodnight!
Deb
Goodnight!
Deb
March 18, 2010
I woke up to the sound of the rapids and knew it was daylight. It was shortly after 6:00am and time to get moving. We made a ton of oatmeal and started breaking down camp. We realized Bill’s water bladder had leaked during the night and some of our stuff was wet. He went back to the river to filter more water, at least it leaked in a good spot and not on the trail somewhere.
I woke up to the sound of the rapids and knew it was daylight. It was shortly after 6:00am and time to get moving. We made a ton of oatmeal and started breaking down camp. We realized Bill’s water bladder had leaked during the night and some of our stuff was wet. He went back to the river to filter more water, at least it leaked in a good spot and not on the trail somewhere.
We started hiking up the creek bed and Bill’s pole turned over a rock and out comes a small rattlesnake…I knew it….I knew I would see one. At least there was lots of room to walk around it in the creek bed.
Up, up we go. We both felt pretty fresh and decided on any flat areas to try and make up some time. About an hour into the hike Bill was ahead and out darted another rattlesnake in front of me…This time I had nowhere to go but over it….I waited until it pointed its head down hill and moved quickly…Now I am really going to be watching the ground and trying not to panic because I don’t want to jump out of the way and fall downnnnnn….. Both the snakes we saw were not huge which we thought was a great thing until we talked to people when we got back and learned that the smaller rattlesnakes are more dangerous because they can’t yet control how much venom they put into you…nice. As my husband poked at it with his pole JA.
We kept reminding each other to drink as the sun was out in full force again (around 80). We stopped at the half way mark and had lunch and took off our boots for a few minutes which felt great. We were really happy with the time we were making and we were no longer concerned about being out of the canyon in good time. We kept moving on and sort of dreading one section of the trail that was called the staircase (which does not have stairs). We found a nice tall flat rock which gave us some shade and decided to take a quick break before the big climb…it felt really good to lean up against the rock and feel the coolness of it, I even leaned my face against it and it felt so refreshing. Forward we go!
We stopped at a section called the Santa Maria Springs which some day hikers go to. It has a little shelter there so we thought it would be a good spot to quickly grab another snack and rub our feet for a minute. We knew we were making great time now, but we also looked up and knew the rest of the way was going to be grueling as Bill said.
The last 2 km was hard and I knew for sure it was difficult when Bill said “I think I need to sit down for a minute”… usually when he knows he is close to the end of something he speeds up like crazy.
In the last km we came across 2 guys from Texas who were sitting down and they said “you guys look pretty chipper.. where are you coming from?” and we told them we left Granite Rapids this morning and they said they had left from around that area too, but weren’t doing so great. They said they left at 4:00am and asked what time we left and we answered 7:45 am. I felt really bad for the one guy because he needed assistance out from the Rangers and he only needed to hike about another 15 minutes to be out, but on the other hand I was really proud of myself for making it out and it only taking us 1 hour longer than it did going down. I felt like we had just done something pretty incredible!
PS Jan….today is the day I realized my life is never going to be the same.........
Friday, March 19, 2010
March 14 & 15, 2010
Sedona……what a huge disappointment! It was in the top 3 things that I wanted to see and it was nothing like what we expected. It was over run by people and was totally commercialized. I was expecting a quiet, spiritual place. The hiking was more like walking and you always had someone behind you and someone ahead of you….I guess it is Spring break. The red rock was pretty, but the people really took away from it. We are on our way to the Grand Canyon which I am sure will be a zoo, but we are hoping to buy a permit and hike down in to it and tent for a few days away from the crowds.
**We have been thinking about you lots Mom & Dad R and hope you are on the mend Dad….I know you are in great hands with Dr. Cowan and the ICU staff…all our love!
Deb & Bill
Sedona……what a huge disappointment! It was in the top 3 things that I wanted to see and it was nothing like what we expected. It was over run by people and was totally commercialized. I was expecting a quiet, spiritual place. The hiking was more like walking and you always had someone behind you and someone ahead of you….I guess it is Spring break. The red rock was pretty, but the people really took away from it. We are on our way to the Grand Canyon which I am sure will be a zoo, but we are hoping to buy a permit and hike down in to it and tent for a few days away from the crowds.
**We have been thinking about you lots Mom & Dad R and hope you are on the mend Dad….I know you are in great hands with Dr. Cowan and the ICU staff…all our love!
Deb & Bill
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
March 12, 2010
Started making our way to Las Vegas today. The drive was so beautiful. We drove through Death Valley which was spectacular! It was probably one of the most silent and serene places I have ever been to. The silence was just so powerful!
Can you imagine being in the quietest place you have ever been to and to Vegas in the same day? I think maybe that was a little bit too much! I don't think you could find any two places so different from each other.
Can you imagine being in the quietest place you have ever been to and to Vegas in the same day? I think maybe that was a little bit too much! I don't think you could find any two places so different from each other.
We got to Vegas around 3:00 and found a great KOA at Circus Circus right on the Blvd and within walking distance to everything. We walked the strip, went to dinner at the Mirage and then found some 1/2 price tickets to see Criss Angel with some Cirque du Soleil. Bill loves magic and I wanted to see some Cirque people. I really wanted to go see Love, but the price of one ticket was quite a bit more than the 2 tickets cost us to see Criss Angel. We got to see the whole strip as the show was at the Luxor which is completely at the other end from Circus, Circus. Too many people for us...we were gone in under 15 hours. I am glad we went, but I would never leave a foot of fresh powder again!!
CONGRATULATIONS TO STEPH AND LOU WHO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL NEW BABY BOY
ETHAN LABRASH...PAYTON LOVES HIM!
PS who is Boo at work?? They didn't sign their comment...hehe..
March 11, 2010
Time to hit the road!! We had coffee and breakfast with Jim before he went to work and then we finished up our packing. It was really hard to leave ...Tahoe is such an incredible place. We enjoyed our time with Jimbo and Nimbus so much, but we have lots to fit in before Hatteras. Can you believe only a month away JE and Janice? We look forward to it….the Howards will be camping this year yeah!!
When we left Jim’s it was minus 1 and there was still a ton of snow and great skiing, within about 30 minutes we were out of the snow (expect for some on high peaks) and the temperature was around 10 degrees. By late afternoon it was 18 degrees.
Jim we think we saw Mount Tom and Bill would love to hike it. If you guys are planning any big ones let us know and Bill can meet you. We stopped and took some photos at Mono Lake, it was very pretty.
We found a nice little campground in Lonepine…..cheapest one yet $10.00. We enjoyed the drive, it was very scenic and pretty.
Time to hit the road!! We had coffee and breakfast with Jim before he went to work and then we finished up our packing. It was really hard to leave ...Tahoe is such an incredible place. We enjoyed our time with Jimbo and Nimbus so much, but we have lots to fit in before Hatteras. Can you believe only a month away JE and Janice? We look forward to it….the Howards will be camping this year yeah!!
When we left Jim’s it was minus 1 and there was still a ton of snow and great skiing, within about 30 minutes we were out of the snow (expect for some on high peaks) and the temperature was around 10 degrees. By late afternoon it was 18 degrees.
Jim we think we saw Mount Tom and Bill would love to hike it. If you guys are planning any big ones let us know and Bill can meet you. We stopped and took some photos at Mono Lake, it was very pretty.
We found a nice little campground in Lonepine…..cheapest one yet $10.00. We enjoyed the drive, it was very scenic and pretty.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
March 10, 2010
Talk about a perfect last day!!! Bill and I hiked up to Waterhouse and found a ton of fresh powder! The sky was clear and it was great to have a little rest at the top....felt like we were on top of the world! It is going to be a sad day tomorrow when we have to leave. We will be coming back here for sure. I hope you are here next time Karen so we can ski together!
I think Nimbus is going to miss us....I know we are going to miss him!!
Looks like we might head to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon next.
Deb & Bill
Deb & Bill
March 9, 2010
Can you believe how much powder we are getting? Bill says I have turned in to a powder snob....
Beautiful day at Kirkwood!!!! We felt bad for Jim who is working up there this week shovelling roofs..we did stop by for a visit with him...he did throw some snow at us.
I skiied the Palisades Bowl and under the cirque today. A bit of hiking involved, but worth it!
Hope things are going good at home. I hear the weather is great! Please take a minute and send us a note and let us know what is new with you guys! We miss everyone! Hey what about you kids on the street....why don't you type us a note!!! How is hockey going both on the Street and in the arena?? Glad to hear Sonya is on the mend.
D&B
Can you believe how much powder we are getting? Bill says I have turned in to a powder snob....
Beautiful day at Kirkwood!!!! We felt bad for Jim who is working up there this week shovelling roofs..we did stop by for a visit with him...he did throw some snow at us.
I skiied the Palisades Bowl and under the cirque today. A bit of hiking involved, but worth it!
Hope things are going good at home. I hear the weather is great! Please take a minute and send us a note and let us know what is new with you guys! We miss everyone! Hey what about you kids on the street....why don't you type us a note!!! How is hockey going both on the Street and in the arena?? Glad to hear Sonya is on the mend.
D&B
March 7, 2010
Thank you for the Anniversary wishes and phone calls. We had a great day! We went cc skiing up at Kirkwood and the trails were really nice as were the views with the blue sky. The trails were pretty challanging and quite hilly. Nimbus came with us and loved it.
Jim made us a wonderful thai dinner and Karen's mom sent over Bills favorite apple pie. Jim had his friend Scotty over for dinner and it was great to visit with him as he travels to Baja every year, so we had lots of questions for him and he was a wealth of information. He even brought videos. Bill would really like to go to San Carlos in May....any boys want to join him?
We are thinking of packing up and moving on in the next couple of days, but it is going to be really hard to leave Jim, Nimbus and the powder!
D&B
Saturday, March 6, 2010
March 6, 2010
Bill and I went and hiked Carson pass today. Jim had recommended this hike to us and then he had to go in to work:(
We were out there for over 3 hours. Somewhere along the hike we got off the trail....BIG NO NO....hehe....Of course my husband knew where he was going (or so he thought). A storm moved in and I kind of lost my bearings as you couldn't really see the mountain tops anymore and we got out of the trees into the open and everything started looking the same to me. I had a moment where I got a little scared. We thought we could see the road and once we approched the area realized that we were only seeing ski tracks. That is when we decided to pull out the compass (THANK YOU KIRBY AND MARY!!!). It had just crossed my mind that I might be spending my anniversary lost in the backcountry or even worse that I might have to share my last cliff bar with my husband. (who did infact know where he was going and yes I did say sorry for doubting him...)
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Deb:)
Bill and I went and hiked Carson pass today. Jim had recommended this hike to us and then he had to go in to work:(
We were out there for over 3 hours. Somewhere along the hike we got off the trail....BIG NO NO....hehe....Of course my husband knew where he was going (or so he thought). A storm moved in and I kind of lost my bearings as you couldn't really see the mountain tops anymore and we got out of the trees into the open and everything started looking the same to me. I had a moment where I got a little scared. We thought we could see the road and once we approched the area realized that we were only seeing ski tracks. That is when we decided to pull out the compass (THANK YOU KIRBY AND MARY!!!). It had just crossed my mind that I might be spending my anniversary lost in the backcountry or even worse that I might have to share my last cliff bar with my husband. (who did infact know where he was going and yes I did say sorry for doubting him...)
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Deb:)
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