West and Back

So we headed west to take part in the Timmins Family Reunion / Fourth of July Jubilation. Our flight went well this time, and I even got the chance to give out a pass-a-long card after a deep conversation with a fella named Buck. I was able to have a fantastic birthday full of presents, cake, and lots of friends/family. We spent most of our vacation down in Moab at this awesome condo. It was my first time to the Arches, and we definitely got our fill of arches. The family picture above was our first hike to Sand Dune Arch. We then took a longer hike to "The Windows" (if you look behind us you can see them in the distance).

That night we then set out for an adventurous night hike to Delicate Arch. What started out as a good idea turned out to be rather chaotic. With minimal light from above, 1 flashlight per 3 people, one struggling diabetic, and one scared little girl, our hike was pretty intense. We started on a nicely placed trail, but soon found ourselves hiking up the side of a mountain scanning the surface for small piles of rock that marked the trail. On the way down we probably hiked an extra mile from all of the zig zags looking for trail markers. All in all I thought it was a fun trip, especially watching each couple work together and all of us having to come together as a family. The next day a few of us took the same hike, along with Connie's aunt, uncle, and cousin who stopped in to visit.

Fireworks were seen, BBQs enjoyed, and the pool well played. After three days the adventure was over, or so I thought. The last morning we woke up at the crack of dawn for one final hike. All of the girls wanted to go, but none of Connie's sisters were able to convince their husbands to come along. Of course it's still too early for me to have a choice (just kidding), so it was me and the ladies off for one last hike. This was gonna be the big one; a 5-6 mile loop to Double O Arch. As you can see hiking extraordinar Connie was pumped and ready. As for me, well, the look says it all. The worst part of the hike wasn't the early morning, nor the length, but the aweful sandy trails that we had to tredge through. For some reason there's nothing I hate more than walking around with sand in my shoes, so I found myself waddling through the sand making every effort to avoid any intrusion. I probably looked like the sissiest hiker, but at least I didn't have sand between my toes.

One thing I did enjoy was taking a handful of trail shots as the gals walked along. In one of my first shots I told everyone to act "casual" as if I wasn't there. To the right you can see Connie's "casual" shot. One of my favorites.

After three fun filled days it was finally over. We jumped in our cars to cruise back to Provo. That night we enjoyed one last dinner at Cafe Rio, and a flick at our favorite Movies 8. The next morning we left bright an early for our wonderfully enjoyed road trip home. In the beginning Connie was excited to see the country, eat out at various resturants, and sleep in the car. But as reality struck and the beautiful landscape of Nebraska unfolded, she began to see that this adventure wouldn't be so adventurous. We made it in a blazing 37 hours stopping only to eat and a quick 1.5 hour nap. In the picture on the left I'm actually driving, of course having the road in my periphery.