Hiking in PC

It's a three-week tradition now to hike the trails around Silver Star and King Con at Park City Mountain Resort. This was the first time there was snow on the ground. 

Hiking in PC

Hiking in Park City

We started up the Armstrong Trail and hiked down Dawn's Trail. It was beautiful, and the kids found some good sticks to use as broomsticks. 

Camping on Antelope Island, taking a dip in the Great Salt Lake

We met the Karney family and the Kanshepolsky/Gotshalks at White Rock campground on Antelope Island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake for a camping trip. Pete joined the camping event for one night. 

Here's the movie: https://youtu.be/hY8ocFNtamo

We saw the most beautiful sunset while we were driving onto the island on the causeway. 

We camped at the White Rock group site. 

The food was crazy good. Karney and the guys made dutch oven potatoes (with bacon!) and salmon the first night and fajitas the second night.

Jovie danced on the bales of straw in the trailer. We picked up eight bales of straw from a farmer in Layton to set up our outdoor theater for Peanuts Movie Night. More on that later.

 We hiked to Buffalo Point right from our campsite and we were rewarded with a rocky playground and a great view of the lake.  

We hiked a long long way across dry lake bed (stopping halfway to make sandcastles) so we could take a dip in the salty lake. All the kids howled when they immersed their bug bite-y legs in the water. 

 Joelle, Aimee, Jocelyn

Avi, Paige, Morgan, Isaac, Jovie, Ellie sit on the hay wagon. 

The kids were sandy, salty, and bug-bitten at the end of the adventure. 

Bear Lake

Since TB was off celebrating Father's Day in California, the kids and the mom went to Bear Lake for a little paradise. We stayed with the Taylors at their condo and we swam, collected shells, played mini-golf, rode on the boat, and ate raspberry shakes. 
Here's the movie: https://youtu.be/ScQcyL-pmC0

Checking in with the elk at Hardware Ranch

Moab (the second time this month!)

Delicate Arch at sunset

Good hikers and photo bombers

It was Jovie's half birthday, so she chose all the activities, hiking and jumping from bed to bed. After a sunset hike to Delicate Arch, we checked into a little cabin at Moab Valley RV park. The kids liked the bunkbed, they made lots of friends on the playground, and Ikey helped a mom and daughter play a giant chess game. He gave them pointers like..."A knight on the rim is dim" and he did some trash-talking which was pretty funny to all of us. TB says we've outgrown the community bathroom setup. His shower was slightly chilly. So that's it for you, little cabins...

And what the heck?!? I am sick on every single vacation. The kids and I got a nasal spray flu vaccine on Thursday because it seemed easier, but 12 hours later I had lost my voice. With my super wimpy ENT system, I developed a sinus infection really quickly. The whole trip, I was coughing and choking but not talking or sleeping. It drove TB crazy, because I kept asking him to yell at the kids for me. It drove them crazy because they really did miss my non-stop lectures. Ikey said I was faking. It drove me crazy when I realized that I am really friendly and I couldn't talk to strangers like I wanted to. When I croaked out that I had lost my voice to the guy at a convenience store, he said he thought I was European and I just didn't understand anything. 

TB was a champ and he played with the kids the whole time I was shopping for more tissues or DayQuil or taking a nap or whatever. They played on the big sand hill across the freeway from Arches' entrance for the first time. 

At 6 am on Sunday, I caught a ride from a fellow cabin-stayer to the shuttle pick up for The Other Half Marathon. It's always so chilly 26 miles up Castle Valley, but not too cold this year, so we just stood by the fire barrels for fun.

This is the first time I've run with an iPhone and I'm sure I lost like five minutes fooling around with it. I kept turning running backward to get photos of the beautiful scenery I was running toward. No more iPhones during races. Another four minutes lost waiting for a port-a-potty at mile 8, and I wasn't going to make my goal of 2:10.

Overall Rank 598/1095
Class Rank 61/115
Gender Rank 318/697
FINAL 2:19:17
Pace 10:36
Chip Final 2:18:54 (I lined up with the 2:10 pacer and it took us 23 sec to get to the start line)
Bib # 557

TB was a good nurse to me during the trip and a good dad. Luckily, he got to ride his bike with the guys on the last trip to Moab, because this trip wasn't his usual speed. 

My prize pint of beer at the finish line. I dumped it out pretty fast. Who drinks beer at 11 am? Well, a lot of people, but not me. 

Pete's Birthday Party in Moab

TB headed to Moab early in the day to go for a ride with the big guys while the kids and I went to a soccer game. We met up on the trail to Delicate Arch, but we were too late to make it before dark, so we walked the birthday boy, Pete, back to the trailhead and said hey to Dan and lots of Pete's family. 

Then we checked into our swanky accomdations at Moab Springs Ranch.

"This place could not get more luxurious."
"We're living like kings."
"I'm lost in the thoughts of wonder and glory."

Kate and I went running on a pretty trail along the Colorado River.

The guys rode a few more mountain bike trails.

The kids and I checked out the burned out Dewey Bridge in Castle Valley.

That evening, Dan surprised Pete (and all of us too) with a fancy dinner on a beautiful patio at Sorrel River Ranch with a private chef and bartender. The food was great, the location was amazing, and the company was totally enjoyable.

These guys have been friends for 15 years. 

We were so comfortable and we had a superlative time with our little family and our wonderful friends.