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Arches, Bluffs, and Canyons

Jason and I just got back from Moab. We had a great time, as we always do when we visit that region.

Blue skies and red rock: Moab is gorgeous!
Blue skies and red rock: Moab is gorgeous!

We took our mountain bikes down with us and tested them out on the demanding paths to Klondike Bluffs and Hidden Canyon.

The entire desert seemed to be in bloom. Surprising bunches of red, pink, yellow, and whited dotted the landscape.
The entire desert seemed to be in bloom. Surprising bunches of red, pink, yellow, and white dotted the landscape.

The Klondike Bluffs trail took us over some pretty steep slickrock, which was lined with prehistoric dinosaur tracks, to the bluffs high above Arches National Park. It was a fantastic and tiring ride.

Do you see that grin on Jason
Do you see that grin on Jason's face? That comes from speeding over delicious slickrock at a dizzying rate.

Our journey to Hidden Canyon turned out to be more eventful than anticipated. The wind was in a foul humor that day. It rampaged as we tried to climb over the slickrock, pelting sand into our faces and adding another layer of difficulty to our ascent. Not only did we have to work much harder to pedal against the wind, we also had to struggle to keep our bikes stable as the persistent gusts threatened to blow us off our precarious trail. We weren’t entirely successful in this ongoing battle. As I was traversing some tricky rock the wind literally knocked me and my bike over. That cunning wind! Jason was more than willing to give up at that point but I wasn’t about to let that obstinate breeze whip me. He was glad we had stuck with it when we reached Hidden Canyon though. We got to enjoy its spectacular fiery sandstone ebbs and precipices in complete solitude. The ride back from Hidden Canyon was a cinch. The wind that had made our outgoing trip needlessly difficult aided us on our way back. We flew over the slickrock carried by gravity and the turbulent air. A small cactus growing in the middle of the trail made for a temporary setback when I unknowingly stepped on it but after some quick needle removal we were on our way again.

Hidden Canyon was a stunning and chaotic blend of brillliant oranges and reds. We got to marvel
Hidden Canyon was a stunning and chaotic blend of brilliant oranges and reds. We got to marvel at its edge without a single being to disturb our awe.
Jason paused on our way back from Hidden Canyon to illustrate that he had conquered.
Jason paused on our way back from Hidden Canyon to illustrate that he had conquered.

We took a break from all that biking by enjoying an afternoon hiking in Arches National Park. The wind was our temperamental companion at Arches as well. It made the 90+ temps quite comfortable but we were relentlessly bombarded by airborne sand as we explored. Oh well, a little grit in the eyes and ears never hurt anyone too much.

Viewing the graceful and puzzling curves of Delicate Arch was worth facing the blasts of wind that rupped across the plateau it remarkably ascends from.
Viewing the graceful and puzzling curves of Delicate Arch was worth facing the blasts of wind that ripped across the plateau it remarkably ascends from.
Double Arch is one of my favorite spots in Arches
Double Arch is one of my favorite spots in Arches and it's as good of a place as any for Jason to act silly in front of the camera.
Balanced Rock is one of the many gravity-defying oddities at Arches. How does it do that?
Balanced Rock is one of the many gravity-defying oddities at Arches. How does it do that?
The North and South Window arches toegther form
The North and South Window arches together form "the spectacles" from their backsides. Jason whined a bit when I requested that we take the long way around so we could view them from this angle. Poor boy! How could a wife be so cruel?

It was a crazy and delightful trip! We returned home sunburned, sand burned, scraped, bruised, and exhausted. I got more banged up than Jason but he won the prize for the worst injury, a title he has held our last two visits to Moab. He managed to pull a back muscle somewhere in the middle of our hiking/biking frenzy and he has been hobbling around like a decrepit old man ever since we arrived home.

Rachel May 27, 2010 No Comments

Happy Annivegasary!

Jason and I rarely miss an opportunity to live it up. We firmly believe that life is worth celebrating and what better excuse to party than reaching nine years in an amazing marriage. It was Jason’s turn to be in charge of the anniversary revelries this year and he wisely chose Las Vegas, the partying Mecca of the world, as our celebration location.

We stayed at a hotel on the strip, the Palazzo, in a room overlooking the strip. It was surprisingly entertaining watching the constant bustle of people and Treasure Island Resort’s Sirens show from our birds-eye view. All that cannon fire, smoke, and lighting looked pretty cool from 24 floors up.

As sweet as the view from our hotel window was, surveying tiny swarms of people could not keep me from my true purpose. For there are two things I love about Vegas: the excellent shopping and the amazing food. Jason is a smart man; he knows that I’m quite fond of both of these things and that they go a long way in increasing Rachel vacation satisfaction. So he planned for a day of shopping and assumed the risk to our wallets. We found a great shopping center, Town Square, just south of the strip. Among its many stores was a large H&M – the reason we chose this particular shopping venue. An unanticipated plus of purchasing at this center was that getting from store to store required walking outside, which meant an opportunity to have some rays intersperse our shopping experience. This turned out to be a rather big plus because the temps were in the high 70’s and low 80’s the entire time we were in Vegas, with never even a hint of a cloud in the sky. Ahhh…sunshine and shopping …I felt like I had gone to consumer heaven.

That is the smile of a woman in shopping bliss.
That is the smile of a woman in shopping bliss. Pay attention men for while that look means your woman is uncharacteristically happy it also means your wallet may be terminally ill.

Jason fulfilled my desire for some first-rate food by taking me to dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, a French restaurant located in the Paris hotel. The filet mignon with a Merlot butter sauce I ordered was super yummy! I’m drooling just remembering how it seemed to practically melt away in your mouth. Delicious!

This is Jason and me after we ate so much we could barely walk back to our hotel.
This is me and Jason after we ate so much we could barely walk back to our hotel room.

In between burning through money and chowing down we found time to attend the Cirque du Soleil show LOVE, which features Beatles music. We loved it! Jason said it reminded him of a dream and I definitely agree that it had an intoxicatingly imaginative dreamlike quality.

Jason and I were trying to look groovy.
Jason and I were trying to appear groovy here but it didn't quite work. We would probably need some hard drugs in our systems to really pull off that look.

We also couldn’t resist spending a little time reading books by the hotel pool. With weather that nice who could refrain from sneaking in a little sun? And what sane person would want to refrain? Certainly not me.

It was a great trip but that’s no surprise. After all, I prefer spending Jason’s money over anyone else’s and there’s no one I’d rather stuff my face with until I feel like I might possibly vomit. A great trip, a great marriage, a great man – life is pretty darn great!

Rachel May 1, 2010 2 Comments

The Perfect Pair and a Big Daddy

Valentine’s Day activity planning was my task this year. I opted for something Jason was sure to love: spending a couple days at the Canyons Resort and on the slopes. (The terrific “Pair Pass” deals the Canyons has right now made the choice a relatively easy one.)

This was one of those self taken snapshots.
This is one of those cheesy self-taken snapshots but I still like it.

Although the Canyons Resort is historically important to both of us, we haven’t boarded there in years. For Jason it represents the magnificence of his glory days. While he was in college he got season passes there every year and literally arranged his whole life, and school schedule, to optimize his time on the mountain. The Canyons for me holds significance of the bittersweet variety: my very first attempt at boarding took place there. Ah yes…the pain, the misery, the beginnings of a hobby that I now absolutely love.

I got a better picture of Jason jumping this time...at least in one sense. He looks a little like an eagle impersonator in this shot.

I decided that rather than squishing everything into Valentine’s Day weekend I would prolong the fun by taking Jason up to the Canyons the weekend before. Jason, as expected, was very excited about my Park City plan. We headed up on Thursday night and had a delightful dinner at Café Terigo. (If you ever go there I would highly recommend their bread pudding with hot butter rum sauce. It’s divine!) The next morning we woke up, put on our snow gear, walked a couple minutes to the gondola, and headed up the mountain. Ahhhhh….the simple pleasures of waking up and moseying on out to the lift. Does life get any sweeter? Hint: the correct response is “no”.

This is me on Saddleback, a run that was once my nemesis.
This is me on Saddleback, a run that was once my nemesis. We are good buddies now.

It snowed practically the entire morning as we boarded, which helped to make the runs decent, but sadly the snow was still not as excellent as it could have been. Nevertheless, we relished our chance to ride the Canyons’ seemingly infinite terrain. I also found great satisfaction in riding down Saddleback, the very first run I tried to board over a decade ago. I too vividly remember that first endeavor; it was an endless succession of falling. It took me over an hour to make it back down to the lift and my knees and butt were so bruised I could have been mistaken for a chimney sweep. That’s why I found great pleasure in riding this hill once again and not falling, not taking over an hour, and not bruising myself. Yes, the ecstasy of no longer being a beginner is astounding.

Here's Jason outside our lodge trying to look tough.

After a full day of boarding Jas and I were not done gallivanting about. We headed down to Salt Lake City to see the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy play with the Utah Symphony. Wow! I’ve always been a fan of these guys but they were even better live than I had anticipated! After the concert I got to meet the band and get their autographs. Their lead singer even graciously offered to take a picture with me. Sweet!

Here I am with Scotty Morris of the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

I must say that my Park City plans worked out quite well but, then again, planning is one of my fortes.

Although our weekend was lovely, the Valentine’s Day surprises aren’t over for Jason. Next weekend is sure to bring awesomeness! Awesomeness that will certainly be the topic of another longwinded Rachel blog.

Rachel February 10, 2010 No Comments
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