Halloween in Texas

Our trip to Texas recently was eventful and relaxing. There is an ever growing number of relatives who seem to be living out in Texas now. In fact Texas is trying to rival the state of Utah for housing the most family nowadays. No need to fret Utah family members as you are still the closest to us here in AZ and plus it seems like there may be another exodus of family members moving to the wonderful sunshine state of AZ with Dave and Kristy, we already stole Nathan. Anyways, I digress.

I must say the trip was a bit frightening as Avery was a bit of a terror due to her top teeth breaking through and having to sleep at three different homes. Plus, poor Jon had to deal with me losing his house key, a driver from his Frisbee golf collection, and putting a dent in his beautiful red Audi. That one still haunts me. Lucky for me, Jon seemed out of character and did not explode he just simply said okay. Freaky things happen during the Halloween season.

The weather was very pleasant during our stay and it was just what Kathryn and I needed as it rained on a number of days and the nights were crisp and cool compared to Phoenix. The Friday before Halloween we went to old Town McKinney and were rewarded with a fun evening of trick or treating and observing a large number of families dressed in fantastic costumes in celebration of Halloween. I missed the days when kids actually dressed up for Halloween and neighborhoods decorated their homes in spooky fashion to celebrate the festivities the holiday offers. One little girl in particular was dressed as a scarecrow. The costume was elaborate and just fantastic. Avery will definitely have to dress like this girl in a few years but for now the pumpkin outfit is great! (Thanks, Val)

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The WAVE

I was finally able to take a break from work for a week and was rewarded with a fun and adventurous trip to Southern and Northern Utah.

This trip was our first time away from our baby girl Avery for multiple days. We missed her but it was a relief not to have her on the hot hike we encountered near Lake Powell doing the WAVE.

I almost did not make it out on this hike. I was burning up and felt like all energy had been sucked out of my body. The hike is only 6 mile round trip but there is no shade anywhere. Kathryn ended up with a very burnt and red face and my chicken legs were toasted!

The WAVE was unique and the hike was different but I am not sold that it is worth a lottery win to go. Only 20 to 25 hikers are allowed to explore the area a day. I am not sure a single one of the other hikers we encountered were American. Mostly Europeans and Asians were found to be taking pictures and scurrying around the rock formations and sand stone.

Kathryn and I wanted to be more adventurous and I suppose we got wait we wanted, but that is to be expected when you hang out with Derek and Michelle. We stayed the night at Lake Powell and it was a pleasant place with a sand floor to sleep on and a cool breeze from the water. The facilities were great at Lone Rock Camp, though you need to share the area with RVs and other campers.

We enjoyed a fun night of playing BS with cards and munching on cookies. Kathryn and I took the time to go for a night walk on the sand. You could see a ton of stars and the moon reflected perfectly off the water. We became a little nervous when a high howling started very close to us by a coyote that looked more like a wolf. But I guess coyotes don't care for smelly campers.

Grand Canyon - North Rim to South Rim

In May of 2009 myself, Derek, and my dad were able to mark an amazing hike off of our check list of things to accomplish in this world. The hike from the North Rim to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is about 25 miles. We started our hike at 6 am much to dislike of myself and Derek and finished the hike around 4pm. *Just so everyone knows my Dad who is 58 years old did beat Derek and I out of the canyon by about an hour*

The hike was beautiful. There were small waterfalls along the path as well as a sparkling clear creek through nearly a quarter of the hike. My Dad took the time to stick his feet in the water, whereas, Derek and I did not and wish we had. The trip was cool in weather on the North Rim where it was about 40 degrees in the morning but at the bottom of the canyon the temperature increased significantly to around 85 degrees. Luckily, it began to rain in the middle of the afternoon on the ascent out of the canyon on Bright Angel trail or I think I may still be at the bottom of the canyon.

There were a ton of man made bridges through out the hike and I was amazed at how well maintained the trail and campsites were. Every few miles there seemed to be a place to fill up water and use a clean bathroom (j-john).

I vowed to myself to never do the hike again once I was finished as every muscle in body screamed at me for not preparing for the long hike. But now I feel an urge to try it again with my wife. It truly is an amazing hike and place.

First Post

This is a test. This is a test from Joe Jackson to see if this blogging thing even works.