Bryce Canyon Pictures: Part 1

After our stay at Zion, we drove straight to Bryce Canyon National Park. This is one of my favorite places I have ever been fortunate to see. The first time I saw the canyon, I thought it looked like some kind of fairyland with the dusting of white snow sitting on the red hoodoos and green trees. (There is a trail there called the Fairyland trail, so I am not the only person to ever have that impression.) Noah really liked it there and he was a trooper of a hiker. He said hi to pretty much everyone we passed on the trail and everyone thought he was so cute and friendly. Here are some pictures from the canyon hikes we took.

Dan and Noah hiking in the canyon:

Bryce Canyon:Noah pointing to a bird in a tree:

Dan and Noah:King of the mountain:Noah and I hiking:We saw a ton of deer in the canyon:More pictures to come!

We Are Kansas

Congrats to Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks on a great season for a very young team. I stole this video from Suzanne.

Zion National Park: Part 2

Here are some more pictures from our days in Zion.

Noah and I in the canyon:

Noah at dinner in the lodge restaurant: The hail storm that cut our picnic short (nothing like hiking back to the trailhead with sharp balls of ice raining down):

Dan coming through the waterfall:

Noah not liking the waterfall a whole lot:

Noah and I running on the trail:

My guys hiking:
Horse crossing:

Temple of Sinawa:Dan and Noah: Looking over a big cliff:

Zion National Park: Part 1

Our first big stop in Utah was Zion National Park. I have been there a couple of times and I love the place. I think it might be Dan's favorite place to hike and camp. It was just as beautiful as I remembered it.

Dan and Noah's King of the Mountain faces:In Zion canyon: Lunchtime on the trail:Dinner at the lodge: The cabin we stayed in on our third night:Noah hiking:
Waterfall over the trail:Noah horseback riding outside of the canyon:

Camping Near Zion

Our first night in Utah, we camped near Zion National Park. Here are some pictures from camping!

Noah and Dan making coffee on Dan's new camp stove:
Mmmmmmmmm, roasted marshmallows:

Noah was so proud of his big rock:

Our campsite:

At the campfire:

Western Slope Vietnam War Memorial

On our way to Utah, we stayed in a hotel in Fruita, Colorado, to break up the drive. Fruita (along with being the mountain bike capital of Colorado) is the location of the Western Slope Vietnam Memorial. Since Dan's dad fought in that war, we decided to stop and check it out. It is a really nice one and I recommend stopping there if you are ever out in that direction. Here are some pictures.

Noah checking out the place:

A bench at the memorial: Dan and Noah:

Noah thought the helicopter was really cool:

One More Day

One more day and two more national parks...we decided not to drive home today. Instead we are going to Moab and Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. Yay for vacation extension.

Yesterday started out cold but turned into what was probably the most beautiful day of the trip. It was sunny and all blue skies, so we took a hike down into the canyon on the Navajo and Queen's Garden trails. Noah hiked a lot of it, but I got a good workout in carrying him UP the side of the canyon at the end of the hike. Great pics to post when we get home on Thursday!

Hello from Bryce Canyon

It's been a great vacation! We left Denver on Friday and (with a stop at Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company for dinner) drove to Fruita. We stayed in a hotel there and I got up early Saturday to do a little 3 miler. It was so pretty...I just ran up the road towards the Colorado National Monument.

Then on Saturday, we drove to Zion National Park. I wish I could post pictures but we forgot the cord. I'll post them when we get back. Noah had so much fun camping, hiking, and he even got to go horseback riding! But I think his favorite was roasting marshmallows. Dan's favorite part was definitely using his new camp stove. Sunday night we stayed in one of the cabins right in the park. When I walked to the lodge to get coffee in the morning, there were a bunch of deer about 20 feet to my left!

Monday morning, I got up and ran up Angels Landing trail. I did a 5 miler that included some of the toughest uphill (right up the side of the canyon) that I have done so far. Needless to say, I didn't run the whole way up, but I ran the whole way down!

Right now, we are in a hotel at Bryce Canyon National Park. We were planning on camping tonight, but it is awful cold, and I don't want Noah to get sick again so we may wimp out and stay in the hotel again. Right now, we are waiting for it to warm up a little so we can go hike in the park. Yesterday when we got here, the windchill was 21, and that was in the middle of the day. Brrrrrr....

It has been so nice just to have this time to spend with Dan and Noah. It is really our first real family vacation road trip, and it reminds me of the ones my family took when I was little.

One funny thing... the night we stayed in the cabin at Zion, Noah was crying and saying "I want TV." Sad, but true!!! Two days without TV was too much for the little guy I guess. There's no TV in camping OR cabins, haha!!!

It's March Madness, Baby!!!

I love this time of year. Maybe that's a result of going to a school where basketball is pretty much the be-all and end-all, but I think I would love it even if I hadn't. I am getting my first bracket ready. I'm thinking Final Four: Pittsburgh, Gonzaga, Memphis, Kansas. I have KU winning it all, of course. Yes, I think Bill Self is a miracle worker. Isn't this season evidence enough of that? My buddy at work thinks I am delusional. What do you think?

9 Hilly Miles

So I ran 9 miles of hills today. On a trail. Essentially, it was 9 miles of hill repeats. The first 5 felt fine, but hard. By 6.5, I totally lost it. I kept runing, but much slower. There was a red tailed hawk that flew part of it with me. He kept circling around, and at first, I thought it was really neat. Then I realized that he was just waiting for me to die on one of those uphills so that he could pick at my dead, still-warm carcass.

Next time, I will take water and Gu or some other gel with me. If I am going to run uphill that much, I need to fuel up. Or clearly, I will bonk before I am done.

Kylie

Happy Birthday again!

I'm In

I'm doing the Pikes Peak Ascent in August. I might be crazy. Here is what it says on the website about the race I just registered for....

The Pikes Peak Ascent® will redefine what you call running. Sure, it starts out like a lot of races on Any Street, USA. But your first left turn will have you turning in the direction of up! During the next 10 miles, as you gain almost 6,000 vertical feet, your legs, lungs, heart and mind will be worn to a ragged nothingness. But it won’t be until your last three miles, with still over 2,000' of vertical to go, that you will realize where the Marathon got its moniker—America’s Ultimate Challenge.
There’s a reason trees don’t bother growing above 12,000' on Pikes Peak. They can’t! Makes one wonder if trees are smarter than runners. Above treeline most runners take 30 minutes or more, some much more, just to cover a mile. What little air remains can’t satisfy the endless stream of zombies hoping only to survive their next step—a death march right out of a scene from Dawn of the Dead. Adding insult to injury, it might start to snow!

Geez...can't wait to see the training plan.

Happy Birthday, Kylie

As usual, I am a day late and a dollar short. But I wanted to say happy birthday to my niece Kylie. I can't beleive she is 4!!!! I will post a pic later.

Pikes Peak Ascent?

I am considering doing the Pikes Peak Ascent in August. It is a run straight up the Barr Trail to the top of Pikes Peak. If I want to do the run, I need to register on Wednesday if I want to be sure to get a spot. I'm just not sure I am that hard core yet.

Big 12 Champs

Kansas 83
Texas 73 Love that smile on Sherron's face! Congrats Jayhawks on your 9th title in the 13 year history of the Big 12!

Happy Birthday Dad

I miss you!

Zion?

Looks like our spring break destination might be Zion National Park. I know Suzanne was pulling for San Diego, but honestly, we are worried there will be too many high school and college spring breakers there. I love San Diego and we WILL go there sometime in the near future...just not on Spring Break. Plus, we can DRIVE to Zion! YAY! And it is hands down one of the most beautiful places I have ever been so I am really excited to show it to Noah. Great hiking and camping, and that amazing light! I can't wait!

Much Better

I took Noan to the doctor yesterday. He has an ear infection and was wheezing from his cold. After a few neb treatments, some antibiotics, and a dose of Children's Motrin, he is feeling much better! He is going to school today, so that means back to work for me. I certainly don't want him to be sick, but it was nice to spend the day with him yesterday instead of going to work. I can't wait for Spring Break. It's two weeks away and I'll get to spend the whole week with the little guy. We're not sure if we are going anywhere. First we were going to Jamaica, then we decided on San Diego, and now we have waited so long that it looks like it will be a road trip somewhere...maybe Moab or Taos? We'll see.

Sickie

Noah was up crying for a lot of the night last night. I mean, it was like he was hysterical and we couldn't get him to tell us what was wrong. We finally got him to take some Tylenol at about 3:00. He had been refusing to let us give it to him which is weird because he loves the stuff. After we got the medicine in him, he sadi something about his ear and put his hand over his right ear, so I'm wondering if he has an ear infection. He is usually a trooper when he is sick, so I am really worried about the fact that he was that upset. Anyway, I am staying home with him today and taking him to the doctor as soon as they open.

Go Jayhawks!

They're playing Texas Tech in Lubbock tonight and a win will solidify their standing at the top of the Big 12. Go KU! Rock Chalk!

Right Around the Corner?

It has been so nice here for the past couple of weeks, that I can't help but wonder...

Is winter really over? Is spring right around the corner?

It is 76 as I sit here typing and I am so ready for spring. I LOVE living in Castle Rock when it is nice outside...tons of family friendly outdoor things to do. And of course Noah really wants to be outside pretty much every day...it's nice when the weather helps us all enjoy it!

I am sure that some huge snowstorm is right around the corner. I seem to remember a week or so of weather like this before the 4 feet we got on spring break a few years back...but for now I am just going to take advantage of it by sitting outside while Noah plays and drinking a margarita...

That reminds me... we need to get someone out here to build a deck before it gets too warm. And I have some spring planting to start planning...

Rock Chalk Jayhawks

Kinda seems like KU is peaking at the right time, doesn't it?????