LOTOJA: 1 Day * 3 States * 206 Miles

Brian and his dad participated in the LOTOJA this last Saturday. They have been training all summer and I felt like I never saw Brian because he was always biking. They did an amazing job and covered the 206 miles between Logan, Utah and Jackson, Wyoming in a little over 12 hours, including break times. Don't ask me how anyone can stand to be on a bike for 12 hours, but they did it, and Brian was surprisingly chipper after all those miles. I was pretty proud to watch Brian cross the finish line--he worked so hard for this race and did an awesome job! (I'll also be glad to have him home once in awhile). Brian looking good and ready for another 150 miles after the first stop.I was part of the support crew along with my mother-in-law and two brothers-in-law. We provided quick food and drinks at designated stops along the way. Brian and his dad crossed the finish line just before dark. Brian is on the left in the blue jersey (he changed shirts halfway through), and his dad is on the right--crossing the finish line together. Way to go!

Summer Project

My sister Jenny gave me her old dining chairs, which she got for free after she got married. As you can see, they weren't very attractive (this picture doesn't even do it's ugliness justice) so I decided that I would re-upholster and paint the five chairs, despite the fact that I have never done anything like that before. I was pretty proud of my results and I learned a lot about what I would do differently if I were going to do it again. View the transformation....

The Notch Mountain Trail

Brian and I went on an overnighter in the Uintas. I suggested we do the Notch Mountain Loop trail.....backwards. Why I suggested this, I have no idea. I've done the loop before, but generally the trail starts at the Bald Mountain trailhead and travels down to Crystal Lake, with a short but steep ascent up the pass (you can see the pass behind us). I decided that we should do it the other way, not realizing just how much steeper it was going to be. The hike was fun though, and gave us a chance to get some good exercise.

and to see the lovely views.......

and this beautiful moonrise....

and to try out the tent Melanie and Ruben gave us for our wedding....
and to take a freezing cold swim (I didn't get in).....

and lastly, to soak in the wonderfulness that is the High Uinta Mountains Wilderness.

Into the Canadian Rockies

Glacier National Park in Montana was absolutely stunning. We drove up the "Going to the Sun" road--winding through the mist and fog and trying to out-do one another with our effusions of awe and wonder. Our pit-stop for fresh Huckleberry ice cream was definitely worth it. Who knew that ice cream in cold rain could still be so enjoyable?
There were waterfalls every direction you turned. It was impossible NOT to see waterfall.

Come on Brian---smile for the camera

Skipping rocks at the many lakes we visited became a favorite pastime. I was even able to send off a few good ones. However, skipping rocks did become dangerous at some points, like when Emily received a good whack to the side of her head with a rock.

After a couple of days in Glacier, we made our way to the Canadian side of the park--Waterton Lakes, and then continued on to Banff National Park.

The Canadian Rockies are nothing but impressive.

The wildlife was one of the highlights of the trip for me....
This mama bear and her two cubs were amazing to see! We saw all three of the bears stand on their hind legs on the top of the ridge, and then we drove up a dirt road to get a closer view.....
Our next view was just a little too close to comfort for some (John) but it was amazing to see a bear in the wild up close (and from relative safety of the car)
The view of Waterton Lake is gorgeous. We ate dinner at the little town of Waterton below at this little fried chicken place. Ask Matthew about the kid's meals there sometime.......
This is the Prince of Whales Hotel, built to encourage the construction and use of the Canadian Railway.
On a hike near Lake Louise we saw this porcupine. This picture was taken on the way up, but on the way back down the trail we saw him climbing a tree and snacking on pine needles.

The glaciers in Banff were HUGE! I loved this mountain capped by an enormous glacier.



We had a blast on this trip. The wildlife, awe inspiring peaks and lush forests of the Rocky Mountains were the perfect destination for our end-of-summer vacation. More of our mountain adventures will be chronicled on here as soon as I can get my own computer up and running. Before our Canada trip Brian and I went on a fun (or at least beautiful) overnight backpacking trip in the Uintas. So stay tuned for more adventures!

Sunny San Diego?

Well, San Diego wasn't necessarily warm or sunny during 90% of our trip, but hanging out with my parents, eating great Mexican food and sea food, riding beach cruisers down to the pier, dressing up like members of the Mormon Battalion, touring a real-life naval sailing ship from Portugal which was built in 1915 and which was on its way to Somalia, seeing Pandas and Koalas at the San Diego Zoo, watching Shamu, dolphins, and sea lions do tricks at Sea World, getting soaking wet on the Atlantis ride (and not having to wait in line because everyone else was smarter in the cold weather), going to Coronado and pretending to me Marylin Monroe in "Some Like it Hot," watching the sea lions and harbor seals bask in the sun (during the one sunny day) on the beach, and going to the temple to do baptisms for the dead were definitely worth it, even if Sunny San Diego wasn't as sunny as we had anticipated. The only thing I could have wished for was a longer stay. I miss you mom and dad!

P.S. For those wondering, the tall tan guy in our pictures is Eric, Brian's younger brother, who we took on the trip with us. Besides sleeping an impressive amount in the car, Eric was the only one prepared with a phone charger and also went to the Padres game with Brian when I wouldn't. He was a lot of fun to have along and we are glad he came!

Uncanny reemblance don't you think?

Thumbs up for such a great trip!