Jordan was here last week, and I couldn't believe how much he has grown! He seems to have grown a 1/2 inch a week to be where he is now.
I have also grown some, but in the opposite direction.
11 years ago
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Growing up, and out.
Jordan was here last week, and I couldn't believe how much he has grown! He seems to have grown a 1/2 inch a week to be where he is now.
I have also grown some, but in the opposite direction.
Animal Rescue
This past week we had a few brushes with the animal kingdom. While at Josh's parents a little bird flew into the kitchen window. The little guy was shaken-up, and visibly wobbly, but after a few minutes shook it off and flew away. Tough bird.
We also had a few gopher orphans in our yard (collateral damage in Josh's ongoing gopher war).
The little guys were so hungry.
We gave them some oats and then took them to the river bottoms and put them in a burrow there.
Mmm Turkey...
We had a real need for a turkey dinner, so we prepared a Thanksgiving meal for Sunday dinner. They do Christmas in July celebrations, some lucky summer born kids at school get to celebrate their half birthday, why not let the other holidays in on the fun?
Monday, May 17, 2010
Goblin Valley / Capitol Reef
We originally planned to go to Canyonlands, but apparently everyone else in Utah had the same idea. So we came up with a plan B that in the end was probably better.
We drove to Goblin Valley on Friday afternoon. Its a little state park in a remote part of the state. The park is full of odd shaped sandstone "goblins" and is surrounded by a crescent shaped sandstone wall (as seen in the film Galaxy Quest, 1999). Spencer found us a route to the top of the wall so we could have a full sweeping view of the park. It almost seemed like Spencer had glue on his shoes the way he scaled the sandstone.
We camped outside the park in the San Rafael Swell by Temple Mtn. We set up two hammocks side by side in a little juniper grove, can I just say hammocks and camping are awesome (especially when we forgot our camp chairs). For dinner we had planned on making Navajo Tacos. When we camp we typically keep the meals super simple so cooking the Navajo Tacos made us all feel like iron chefs, doing a good deal of improvising. Lucky for us camping makes everything taste better; and those tacos were tasty!
The next morning we drove to Capitol Reef on Utah-24. We attempted our first ever canyoneering hike up Burro wash. Most of the hike in was up a less than scenic dry and sandy wash. Once the wash deepened, things began to get interesting. The deep sandstone wash would be worth the hike alone, then it abruptly turns into narrows, only about 2 feet wide.
Stepping into the narrows is a little eerie,its dark and cold and at the highest point the walls stretch 30 feet above you. What really gets your attention is the water at the bottom of the narrows, water you can't go around. So we waded into dark water and found to our delight that it was ice cold! Some went in more willing then others. Katie Jan got a ride on Spencer's shoulders but eventually she too was wet and freezing. The deepest pool was about four feet deep and SO COLD! Once on the other side it opened up again and we had lunch there. The group decided this was as good a place as any to turn around, so we headed back to camp.
We camped in Cottonwood Wash fittingly under some cottonwoods. Again the Hammocks went up, and again I have to say - AWESOME. This camp was some sort of lizard mecca. I am not talking about little lizards either, BIG lizards were spotted from the moment we arrived. Spencer made a raging campfire and the stars came out like they only do when your camping.
We had planned to stop and see Grandma and Grandpa B in Salina but we found out that morning that both were very ill and couldn't have company. So, we ate at Mom's Cafe. I have to say the place looked a little neglected, but the food was sooo good. Ever had home made sour cream blueberry pie?, you can get it at Mom's Cafe.
Going camping is great, you get to see amazing panoramic views, wildlife, and it lets us forget about our normal day to day worries. These are all good reasons why we love to go camping, but some of the best reasons to go camping are revealed in our thoughts when we get home. We take so much for granted in our comfortable life. Camping makes us notice how nice a bathroom with running water is, or how comfortable our bed is. When we return home and turn on the oven part of us marvels at how easy, and good, we have it. Of course we forget all of this too soon, so there will always be at least one good reason to go camping again.
We drove to Goblin Valley on Friday afternoon. Its a little state park in a remote part of the state. The park is full of odd shaped sandstone "goblins" and is surrounded by a crescent shaped sandstone wall (as seen in the film Galaxy Quest, 1999). Spencer found us a route to the top of the wall so we could have a full sweeping view of the park. It almost seemed like Spencer had glue on his shoes the way he scaled the sandstone.
We camped outside the park in the San Rafael Swell by Temple Mtn. We set up two hammocks side by side in a little juniper grove, can I just say hammocks and camping are awesome (especially when we forgot our camp chairs). For dinner we had planned on making Navajo Tacos. When we camp we typically keep the meals super simple so cooking the Navajo Tacos made us all feel like iron chefs, doing a good deal of improvising. Lucky for us camping makes everything taste better; and those tacos were tasty!
The next morning we drove to Capitol Reef on Utah-24. We attempted our first ever canyoneering hike up Burro wash. Most of the hike in was up a less than scenic dry and sandy wash. Once the wash deepened, things began to get interesting. The deep sandstone wash would be worth the hike alone, then it abruptly turns into narrows, only about 2 feet wide.
Stepping into the narrows is a little eerie,its dark and cold and at the highest point the walls stretch 30 feet above you. What really gets your attention is the water at the bottom of the narrows, water you can't go around. So we waded into dark water and found to our delight that it was ice cold! Some went in more willing then others. Katie Jan got a ride on Spencer's shoulders but eventually she too was wet and freezing. The deepest pool was about four feet deep and SO COLD! Once on the other side it opened up again and we had lunch there. The group decided this was as good a place as any to turn around, so we headed back to camp.
We camped in Cottonwood Wash fittingly under some cottonwoods. Again the Hammocks went up, and again I have to say - AWESOME. This camp was some sort of lizard mecca. I am not talking about little lizards either, BIG lizards were spotted from the moment we arrived. Spencer made a raging campfire and the stars came out like they only do when your camping.
We had planned to stop and see Grandma and Grandpa B in Salina but we found out that morning that both were very ill and couldn't have company. So, we ate at Mom's Cafe. I have to say the place looked a little neglected, but the food was sooo good. Ever had home made sour cream blueberry pie?, you can get it at Mom's Cafe.
Going camping is great, you get to see amazing panoramic views, wildlife, and it lets us forget about our normal day to day worries. These are all good reasons why we love to go camping, but some of the best reasons to go camping are revealed in our thoughts when we get home. We take so much for granted in our comfortable life. Camping makes us notice how nice a bathroom with running water is, or how comfortable our bed is. When we return home and turn on the oven part of us marvels at how easy, and good, we have it. Of course we forget all of this too soon, so there will always be at least one good reason to go camping again.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Havin' a Baby!
We are thrilled to announce we are having a baby girl! I am 5 1/2 months along and due September 3rd. So far the pregnancy has gone well, and I am watching my growing baby bump! Both Josh and I have felt her move so it's an exciting time for us. We are so blessed and look forward to our little family addition!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Cruis'n
We decided to try a new type of vacation. Instead of hiking and camping we wanted to try the whole leisure and luxury approach. It turns out we kind-a-liked it.
We chose an itinerary in the Eastern Caribbean that had no "at sea days" so we could maximize our island experience.
We chose an itinerary in the Eastern Caribbean that had no "at sea days" so we could maximize our island experience.
It was incredible! Postcard blue water and white sand beaches and rugged tropical jungles on the island's interior. The locals were friendly and welcoming. It was an amazing experience to wake up every morning in a new port, with new towns to see and beaches to enjoy.
Briefly here is where we went and little of what we did....
We boarded our ship in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The flight there had some pretty bad turbulence but we survived the thrill ride. It was awesome to see our ship lit up at the dock waiting for us.
Our first port was St. Thomas. When we went on the deck to get our fist glance of the island we were stunned by the green rolling hills and million dollar yachts sitting in the turquoise blue waters. We walked the streets of Charlotte Amalie, the shopping was supposed to be "world class" and "duty-free" but we weren't really interested in diamonds or alcohol. Most of the ship went to Megans Bay but a local pointed use to Hidden Cove Beach. The beach was perfect for us! Good snorkeling and we had the beach all to ourselves. Everyone warned us to not get sunburned our first day, and despite our attempts we were burnt crisp on day one.
The second port was Dominica. This island didn't have the sandy beaches but it did have the thickest, and greenest rain forest. The interior was mountainous and we got to see some waterfalls while there. This was our first time on the trip to be off of American soil.
Our next stop was Barbados. This was a former British colony and Bridgetown is supposed to be like a little London. We haven't been to London but if it is like Bridgetown I think we might like it. One our favorite places we stumbled upon was St. Micheal's church. This little run down church and cemetery had been here since 1665! The church has been toppled by two hurricanes (1780, 1831) and then rebuilt again. It was here that we really began to get a sense of the history of the area. We also hopped a ride on a catamaran to snorkel with some sea turtles. Our snorkeling site was close to the famous sandy lane resort, so we swam to the beach to have a look around.
Our fourth port was St Lucia. The city of Castries was among the biggest cities we saw on our trip. We took a long walk through the city. It seemed like almost every street was lined with vendors selling their wares. We hardly saw a tourist while in the city and felt completely immersed in this very foreign place. The poverty here was obvious. Around every corner were shanty towns were families lived in improvised shelters. We took a very long and equally winding ride to Soufriere (our drivers name was Indignatious). The best part of the drive was seeing the Pitons. These duel conical shaped mountains are beautiful and are the icons of this island.
Our next port was St Kitts, and this turned out to be one of our favorite islands. The highlight has to be the Brimstone Fortress. The Fortress was incredible and the views from the ramparts were amazing. From brimstone we could see three other islands.
St Maarten was our last island while at sea. We made it a beach day and had the best snorkeling of the week here. Again everyone headed to one beach (Orient Beach) and we headed to another (Dawn Beach)! Having a total beach day was the perfect end to our island hopping trip.
Once back in San Juan, we has some time to kill so we put our baggage in a locker. Armed with a map, we went on a walking tour of old San Juan. We were really surprised at what the city had to offer. There were all sorts of interesting historical and architectural sites to see. Our favorites were the old castles and churches. Before we new it the vacation had come to a close and we were back on the plane headed home.
Briefly here is where we went and little of what we did....
We boarded our ship in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The flight there had some pretty bad turbulence but we survived the thrill ride. It was awesome to see our ship lit up at the dock waiting for us.
Our first port was St. Thomas. When we went on the deck to get our fist glance of the island we were stunned by the green rolling hills and million dollar yachts sitting in the turquoise blue waters. We walked the streets of Charlotte Amalie, the shopping was supposed to be "world class" and "duty-free" but we weren't really interested in diamonds or alcohol. Most of the ship went to Megans Bay but a local pointed use to Hidden Cove Beach. The beach was perfect for us! Good snorkeling and we had the beach all to ourselves. Everyone warned us to not get sunburned our first day, and despite our attempts we were burnt crisp on day one.
The second port was Dominica. This island didn't have the sandy beaches but it did have the thickest, and greenest rain forest. The interior was mountainous and we got to see some waterfalls while there. This was our first time on the trip to be off of American soil.
Our next stop was Barbados. This was a former British colony and Bridgetown is supposed to be like a little London. We haven't been to London but if it is like Bridgetown I think we might like it. One our favorite places we stumbled upon was St. Micheal's church. This little run down church and cemetery had been here since 1665! The church has been toppled by two hurricanes (1780, 1831) and then rebuilt again. It was here that we really began to get a sense of the history of the area. We also hopped a ride on a catamaran to snorkel with some sea turtles. Our snorkeling site was close to the famous sandy lane resort, so we swam to the beach to have a look around.
Our fourth port was St Lucia. The city of Castries was among the biggest cities we saw on our trip. We took a long walk through the city. It seemed like almost every street was lined with vendors selling their wares. We hardly saw a tourist while in the city and felt completely immersed in this very foreign place. The poverty here was obvious. Around every corner were shanty towns were families lived in improvised shelters. We took a very long and equally winding ride to Soufriere (our drivers name was Indignatious). The best part of the drive was seeing the Pitons. These duel conical shaped mountains are beautiful and are the icons of this island.
Our next port was St Kitts, and this turned out to be one of our favorite islands. The highlight has to be the Brimstone Fortress. The Fortress was incredible and the views from the ramparts were amazing. From brimstone we could see three other islands.
St Maarten was our last island while at sea. We made it a beach day and had the best snorkeling of the week here. Again everyone headed to one beach (Orient Beach) and we headed to another (Dawn Beach)! Having a total beach day was the perfect end to our island hopping trip.
Once back in San Juan, we has some time to kill so we put our baggage in a locker. Armed with a map, we went on a walking tour of old San Juan. We were really surprised at what the city had to offer. There were all sorts of interesting historical and architectural sites to see. Our favorites were the old castles and churches. Before we new it the vacation had come to a close and we were back on the plane headed home.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Arches in Febuary
One of the highlights of the trip was hiking out to Delicate Arch (you know the one form the license plate). The arch is amazing, and it's scale makes it even more so.
Our longest hike was through the devils garden area. The trail was a slippery snow pack and hard to navigate, but it took us past several Arches along the way. The most impressive was Landscape Arch. Landscape Arch is impossibly large and impressively thin. The arch spans 290 feet!
On our way out of town we stopped at dead horse point. This state park is essentially an overlook. The point is surrounded by a Grand Canyon like view on practically all sides. Being high up, and more or less alone lead to a little mischief. Lets just say many rocks ended up hundreds of feet bellow us.
There was no camping on this trip considering the colder temperatures, so we all piled in a hotel room and made a party of it. On the way home we got to visit Grandma and Grandpa Bastian in Salina. It was a great trip and now that we know Moab is so close, we hope to return again soon.
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