Bike Envy

Our backpacking trip this year was down a few Canfield members, but we're hoping to add some serious numbers next summer.

After car trouble reared its ugly head at our Subaru right before the trip, Clair and Stacey very graciously allowed me to user their car to drive up to Yellowstone. I followed Clair on his bike most of the way, and I envied his ride almost the entire time with the exception of the time I saw lightning strike a field very close to the highway I was on, and for the super buggy areas in which bugs pelted any exposed skin on Clair's body.

At one point during our drive, as we were making our way through Logan Canyon, we hit some road construction, and I could see Clair ahead of me with maybe 8-10 vehicles between us. I had the windows down and most of the traffic was stopped, and all I could hear was a light breeze rustling through the tops of trees. It was serene and peaceful and then traffic begins to move and I hear Clair's bike rev and rumble and echo through the canyon walls. It was beyond awesome! I wish he could have experienced what I heard, I know he would have been most impressed!

We stopped in Jackson, WY for some leg stretching and our last serious meal before our hike was to begin the following morning. As the sun started to set, we entered Grand Teton National Park and stopped along the way to capture the stunning scenery. I love, love, love that stretch of towering mountains; and I believe the range is Clair's favorite.

At one point during the drive through the park, we enjoyed the gorgeous peaks to the west with rays of setting sun shooting up from behind; while to the north, there were dark skies and flashes of lightning. We fortunately avoided the dark areas and made it to our campground with just enough light to set up our tent at the north end of the park in the Lizard Creek Campground.

Slow Down

I've experienced a string of frustrating events, and last night D told me I just needed to slow down. I immediately dismissed his suggestion. I looked back on the things that had happened, and I couldn't see how speed factored into any of it. It wasn't until this morning, and with a more open attitude, that I realized D was right. My physical speed may not be shifted into high gear, but if my mind isn't focused on the present, it may as well be.

I recently got back from a backpacking trip, and during the hike I had some great conversations with my brother about the very same thing: staying focused and present in the moment. It doesn't matter much if our bodies are present when our minds are off somewhere else. It's the disconnect between the two that I believe has contributed to my misfortune as of late.

Until this morning I've been scratching my head the past couple of days trying to figure out what I've been missing, and maybe it's just that....the actual objects that are missing that are trying to shed light on the bigger picture. I've been fortunate that I've only lost stuff, replaceable stuff, and some extra time to right the things that are wrong. There are far worse things I could have lost instead. It's with this in mind, that I'm going to slow down and try to keep focused on the present.

Pachyderm Hike

I overheard Joy and Clair talking about a hike in Bountiful at lunch the other day, and after our trip up to watch the fireworks, I've been itching to go on another hike. It also helps to know I need to do some serious conditioning to get ready for a backpacking trip at the end of the month.

I looked up the hike and trail head location, and as soon as Darius got home from work I was headed out the door. I drove to Mueller Park, which can be accessed by heading east on 1800 South in Bountiful. The trail head to the Mueller Park Trail, part of which is also known as Elephant Rock or Big Rock, in total is 13 miles. My goal was to make it as far as Elephant Rock and head back, which was about 7 miles. I allotted myself 1-1/2 hours for the trip in, so that I'd have plenty of time to get back before Darius had to leave for work.

The trail is definitely popular with hikers and mountain bikers. Horses are even allowed on the trail, but I didn't see any of those...just their doodie. The trail was pretty easy, and I saw all ages along the way. The trail is fairly narrow in most spots, so I had to keep an eye out for bikes coming down and up the trail. The trail was very well shaded, which was very nice considering I got started right around noon. With the heavy rain from the day before, there was some humidity in the air which I loved.

I forget how much I enjoy hiking, and I realized that the last time I was able to get away for a hike entirely on my own was back in Alaska. It was nice to be able to go at my own pace, take pictures of whatever caught my eye, breathe in lovely mountain air, and enjoy the peace and quiet.

I almost turned around with 10 minutes left on my clock, but decided to give the hike one last push to see if I could make it to Elephant Rock. At a few points along the trail the rock is visible, but after that it's hidden. I had no idea how far I was from it, but I'm glad I didn't turn back. I made it there right on time and had a few minutes to enjoy the views before heading down.

I'm not sure why it's called Elephant Rock. I didn't see any resemblance there, so I'm going to guess it's called that because it sticks out of the surroundings....like an elephant in a room. :) The view from the lookout was of South Davis and the Great Salt Lake and it was beautiful.

 

It's nice to have a trail so accessible within a short distance from home.  I'm looking forward to my next hike...solo, or not.

 

 

Saffy Lunch

After quite a good turnout for the 4th, my family had the added bonus of assembling again today at my brother Eric's place. His daughter Saffron was baptized, and they hosted a lunch at their place afterwards. James' family was down from Idaho, and Michel's family was also there.

Melinda & Saffy

Miles, Ian, Lisette, Saffy, Eric & Nigel

Anytime there are lots of cousins and a house with "new" toys, I rarely see my boys for very long. It's nice that they have such a great time, especially when it gives me time to sit and catch up with everyone.

Sarah is quite the firecracker and will give any kid twice her size a serious dose of fierce!

A lot changes in a month with little kiddies. We just saw Madison on her birthday a little over a month ago, and she wasn't quite walking, but she is now.

In addition to the Canfield side, Melinda's Ashton family was there as well. We don't have many opportunities to see them, and I love our visits with them! Her family members are lovely and talking with each of them is so enjoyable.

James, Clair & Eric. We don't see these men together very often, but I sure love it when we do!

Carrie, Archer & Joy. They're all so stinkin cute.

Michel and two (out of 5) of her lovely daughters, Kylee & Karissa.

I have a great family. I love it when we can all get together, it never gets old.

 

Hooray for Independence Day!

Darius has been working a lot lately with very few days off. I was very excited when he told me he managed to get two full days off from work and would be spending Independence Day and the day before with us.

Wednesday just happened to be the opening day of Despicable Me 2, and after a busy morning of cleaning, we all went to an early showing. After a dry spell of good kids movies, it's nice to have several to look forward to this summer. The boys enjoyed watching the previews and were almost as excited for their big tub of popcorn and rare jumbo soda as they were for the movie. The movie was great and we all loved it!

For the 4th, we headed over to the Bruhn house for a BBQ. We had a good turnout...Eric's family, Clair's family, the Bruhn 3, Joy and Courtney. We all enjoyed a little potluck offering, and did our best to beat the heat by sticking to the shade.

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The boys had lots of fun with their cousins, did a little wheel-barrowing and 3-leg races. It was cute to see my boys so close together without fighting, but they quickly ditched their leg tie and tried to cheat their way to a victory.

Days off for Darius mean catching up on sleep, so while D napped after the BBQ, the boys and I headed out for a little shopping excursion. They've been dying to spend some of the money they've been saving, so I bribed them with a purchase so long as they let me look for a new top. They had their new Lego sets picked out within a quick minute, and I wish I could say I had as good of luck as they had. I struck out at our first stop, and after a promising armful of things to try on at H&M, I unfortunately struck out there as well. Stores were closing early, so we headed home to figure out the rest of our day.

I didn't realize it until now, but this was our first year watching fireworks on the 4th since watching them in Clearwater when the boys were just shy of 4 months! We were back and forth deciding where we would go, but when Joy mentioned hiking a trail in Millcreek Canyon, I thought it was a great idea. We stopped for a quick bite to eat on our way up to meet her at the trail head. The year before, Joy said there were very few people at the top, but this year the cat was out of the bag, and there were a lot of people with the same idea.

We reached the top just in time, and with the valley spread out below us, we could watch an entire spread of light shows! There were a few shows bigger than others, but with people setting off their own fireworks, there were dozens of lights to watch, and our attention darted from one area to another. It was incredible! We even got to see nature's lightshow...strikes of lightning far off in the distance that lit up the surrounding sky red.

Darius decided to head back down the trail with the boys a few minutes before me to get a head start. There were a few parts of the trail to where I could hear the boys, but I didn't catch up with them until almost the end of the trail. It was tricky heading down a trail in the dark, and the boys were getting tripped up, so Darius was very relieved when a nice family came along and helped him with the boys. The mom in the group, snatched up Zach and apparently he talked her ear off, telling her his life story and then some.

It was great to be able to spend the day with all my men, and so much of my family. I take for granted what all our little freedoms amount to, and how despite the cons, our country has far and away so many more pros that make me incredibly grateful to live here.